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Original poster

Missing boy and his mum in Turkey

56 replies

itsgettingweird · 11/08/2022 14:38

apple.news/AoA0HuHBIRCeQ0u8RoBABlQ

This is really worrying.

It's not very clear if they went on a holiday to visit his dad or may have met him when out there.

But I hope they are both ok and can be found.

OP posts:
Original poster
itsgettingweird · 11/08/2022 19:52

Floralnomad · 11/08/2022 17:47

I assumed from the BBC piece that the mum has maybe taken him without consent and he’s in some sort of care otherwise I can’t see how a mum taking a 4 yo to Turkey is newsworthy .

I never thought of it that way.

I just heard the news story on tv about them concerned for the welfare of a 4yo boy and then found that article.

But yes the wording is guarded and different to what you'd expect.

I'm assuming the dad is British but lives there?

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Thesearmsofmine · 11/08/2022 19:54

I hope he is found safe and well very soon.
From a quick Googled seems that the dad has been in prison for drugs offences. I wonder if they never really ended their relationship like her family thought.

Original poster
itsgettingweird · 11/08/2022 19:55

Thanks for the other links.

It's very worrying. Poor boy.

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Original poster
itsgettingweird · 11/08/2022 20:49

DenholmElliot1 · 11/08/2022 17:56

Another weird thing they keep saying is that "they are likely to have spent time with his father, Scott Nigel Wells"

There's no likely about it - they did spend time with him, as is clearly evidenced in photographs.

The article linked from DM states he was seen at Antalya Marina and 2 of the images are recent.

The wording is certainly very cautious and you do have to read between the lines to work out what they are (aren't saying)

But basically she went in June saying she was going to midlands. They've been spotted with his father locally but it seems they no longer know where either is. It's not clear they know where SW is or not?

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PerfectRun · 11/08/2022 21:11

"Retired Royal Navy diver and businessman George, 85, said: 'We just want her to come home. She is frightened to death.

'She cannot lose her child again. It would be too cruel.'"

Doesn't this suggest that she ran away because there was a risk that the child might be removed again, rather than that something where she is now is scaring her?

TiaraBoo · 11/08/2022 21:41

Maybe they don’t want specific wording in the news in case the mum thinks she no can’t come home (assuming she and her son are just hiding out/holidaying somewhere).

KangarooKenny · 11/08/2022 21:43

If he’s in care why wasn’t his passport removed or a stop put on travel ? Unless he’s gone on someone else’s.

gettingfedupagain · 11/08/2022 22:02

It sounds like mum had issues, child went into care, mum turned things around and got child back but dad is seen as very risky so is not supposed to see the child and mum has told social services she's not in contact with him when she clearly is.
The risk would be dad who is likely to be a DV perpetrator and there could be possible substance misuse or other risky behaviour when the two adults are together, mum lying to social services and failing to safeguard the child by taking him to dad.

Maybe mum missed a meeting or a social worker visit (they would likely still be monitoring him as a child in need) which worried people

TokyoSushi · 11/08/2022 22:21

gettingfedupagain · 11/08/2022 22:02

It sounds like mum had issues, child went into care, mum turned things around and got child back but dad is seen as very risky so is not supposed to see the child and mum has told social services she's not in contact with him when she clearly is.
The risk would be dad who is likely to be a DV perpetrator and there could be possible substance misuse or other risky behaviour when the two adults are together, mum lying to social services and failing to safeguard the child by taking him to dad.

Maybe mum missed a meeting or a social worker visit (they would likely still be monitoring him as a child in need) which worried people

I think this probably sounds about right.

liveforsummer · 11/08/2022 22:39

She obviously wasn't allowed to remove him from the country. Maybe just had visitation. I'm not sure SS immediately remove passports etc depending on the situation

figmaofmyimagination · 11/08/2022 22:43

gettingfedupagain · 11/08/2022 22:02

It sounds like mum had issues, child went into care, mum turned things around and got child back but dad is seen as very risky so is not supposed to see the child and mum has told social services she's not in contact with him when she clearly is.
The risk would be dad who is likely to be a DV perpetrator and there could be possible substance misuse or other risky behaviour when the two adults are together, mum lying to social services and failing to safeguard the child by taking him to dad.

Maybe mum missed a meeting or a social worker visit (they would likely still be monitoring him as a child in need) which worried people

Yes, this is my reading of it too.
They must be pretty concerned to have gone to the national news like this 😥

thenewduchessoflapland · 12/08/2022 04:01

It sounds to me like the father is on SS's rader (maybe he has form for abuse) and the LB is not supposed to have contact with him or something like that.

And maybe a condition of her custody is that she's monitored/has support from her parents?

Nekomata · 12/08/2022 04:26

RogerThatBravoOne · 11/08/2022 20:18

😵

Yes! That is the dad! So, if he was sentenced to 7 years in 2017, she must have been pregnant then. He must have gotten early release. So, what the granddad says is true, he’s never been in the boys life and he really is a bad lot. It’s possible that part of her protection order is that she isn’t allowed to see him, which is why she lied about where she was going.

Original poster
itsgettingweird · 12/08/2022 06:33

gettingfedupagain · 11/08/2022 22:02

It sounds like mum had issues, child went into care, mum turned things around and got child back but dad is seen as very risky so is not supposed to see the child and mum has told social services she's not in contact with him when she clearly is.
The risk would be dad who is likely to be a DV perpetrator and there could be possible substance misuse or other risky behaviour when the two adults are together, mum lying to social services and failing to safeguard the child by taking him to dad.

Maybe mum missed a meeting or a social worker visit (they would likely still be monitoring him as a child in need) which worried people

Sounds very much what's happened.

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Original poster
itsgettingweird · 12/08/2022 06:34

Yes nek. And explains the sentence about him moving away before the boy was born.

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TCMolly · 12/08/2022 06:50

I used to work at a British Embassy overseas and my first thought was parental child abduction.

They often choose a non EU country and while Turkey is a member of The Hague Convention, north Cyprus is not. It would be very easy for the Mum to travel to north Cyprus from Turkey.

knittingaddict · 12/08/2022 07:26

Floralnomad · 11/08/2022 17:47

I assumed from the BBC piece that the mum has maybe taken him without consent and he’s in some sort of care otherwise I can’t see how a mum taking a 4 yo to Turkey is newsworthy .

That was my assumption too. It's not the first such case.

figmaofmyimagination · 12/08/2022 07:46

Idly wondering what conversations happen in the BBC newsroom when they’re writing this sort of article. They’ve obviously been asked to, and they obviously know there’s more to it, but I can imagine it feels odd and “not right” to publish such a mysterious kind of article knowing it doesn’t really make sense.

gettingfedupagain · 12/08/2022 07:56

figmaofmyimagination · 12/08/2022 07:46

Idly wondering what conversations happen in the BBC newsroom when they’re writing this sort of article. They’ve obviously been asked to, and they obviously know there’s more to it, but I can imagine it feels odd and “not right” to publish such a mysterious kind of article knowing it doesn’t really make sense.

Yeh they can only give minimal information required for the public to identify and locate the child

NanaNelly · 12/08/2022 08:51

It makes you wonder what the father is still up to in the world of illegal drugs and the very seedy side of life if he chose a country like Turkey to live in.

Nekomata · 12/08/2022 08:58

If the dad is out on license, then he shouldn’t be traveling abroad. The whole thing is dodgy.

I hope the boy is found soon and returned to safety.

User48751490 · 12/08/2022 12:07

IcedOatLatte · 11/08/2022 19:09

I've read a few articles about this, none of them very clear. I'm also kind of surprised that the boy has passport

That's the one thing that surprised me too from this whole story.

Original poster
itsgettingweird · 12/08/2022 12:30

figmaofmyimagination · 12/08/2022 07:46

Idly wondering what conversations happen in the BBC newsroom when they’re writing this sort of article. They’ve obviously been asked to, and they obviously know there’s more to it, but I can imagine it feels odd and “not right” to publish such a mysterious kind of article knowing it doesn’t really make sense.

Good point.

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Cloud10 · 12/08/2022 14:20

They’ve been found, phew! Doesn’t give much information…
Boy missing in Turkey found safe and well