Missing schoolgirl found in France

A schoolgirl who went missing with a 49-year-old man she met on the internet has been found safe and well in France.

Laura Stainforth, 15, from Cleethorpes, north-east Lincolnshire, was with Robert Williams in Lille. He was arrested by French police and is in custody. Laura had been missing for a week before she turned up at the consulate in Lille with Mr Williams.

Detectives believe they took a train to Doncaster, South Yorkshire, then went to London, then Dover. Laura was seen there and later on the Pride of Kent ferry, which docked at Calais that afternoon. Her parents Debra and Robert were said to be "ecstatic".

Mrs Stainforth said: "I am grateful for all the support from the papers and the publicity that has brought Laura back home to us."