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| Mother suing Thomas Cook over 'abduction' | Mother suing Thomas Cook over 'abduction' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A mother, who says her five-year-old child was abducted from a holiday kids club in Turkey, is suing travel firm Thomas Cook over the incident. | A mother, who says her five-year-old child was abducted from a holiday kids club in Turkey, is suing travel firm Thomas Cook over the incident. |
| Janet Alexander, 46, from Inverness, said her daughter Rose was taken by a stranger from the club at the Royal Wings Hotel in Antalya. | Janet Alexander, 46, from Inverness, said her daughter Rose was taken by a stranger from the club at the Royal Wings Hotel in Antalya. |
| Ms Alexander said Rose was later found with a woman, walking near a main road within the hotel's grounds. | Ms Alexander said Rose was later found with a woman, walking near a main road within the hotel's grounds. |
| Thomas Cook said it was investigating the incident. | Thomas Cook said it was investigating the incident. |
| Ms Alexander said she was on a family break at Easter with Rose and her sister Lois when the incident happened. | Ms Alexander said she was on a family break at Easter with Rose and her sister Lois when the incident happened. |
| 'Started running' | 'Started running' |
| She said that she left Rose at the resort's supervised play area so that she could take Lois, aged nine, to a scuba diving lesson. | She said that she left Rose at the resort's supervised play area so that she could take Lois, aged nine, to a scuba diving lesson. |
| However, when they returned an hour later, they discovered that Rose was gone. | However, when they returned an hour later, they discovered that Rose was gone. |
| She said: "I was completely distraught, completely. In fact, there was chaos as everybody realised she was missing and started running around and people from around the pool started looking for her. | |
| "I was really quite frozen with fear." | "I was really quite frozen with fear." |
| Lois was among those who joined the search. She said: "We couldn't find her and eventually we found her though. She was so happy she started crying." | Lois was among those who joined the search. She said: "We couldn't find her and eventually we found her though. She was so happy she started crying." |
| Rose was found unharmed 20 minutes later in the company of the mystery woman, who was wearing a hijab. | Rose was found unharmed 20 minutes later in the company of the mystery woman, who was wearing a hijab. |
| The pair were led back to the hotel by a guest, but the woman was never arrested and later left the scene. | The pair were led back to the hotel by a guest, but the woman was never arrested and later left the scene. |
| Janet Alexander said: "Had Rose even followed her or whatever, you would take a child back, and in my heart I know that there was some sort of unpleasant motive behind this. | Janet Alexander said: "Had Rose even followed her or whatever, you would take a child back, and in my heart I know that there was some sort of unpleasant motive behind this. |
| "It was hundreds and hundreds of metres away that she had taken her." | "It was hundreds and hundreds of metres away that she had taken her." |
| Safe and secure | Safe and secure |
| Ms Alexander accused Thomas Cook of failing to respond to repeated calls for help during and after the incident. | Ms Alexander accused Thomas Cook of failing to respond to repeated calls for help during and after the incident. |
| She added: "I think it's terrible that they would leave a family abandoned in a foreign country and not make sure, not only that we were ok, but that the current users of the facilities are ok as well, because obviously I felt the other children that were using the club were then at risk." | She added: "I think it's terrible that they would leave a family abandoned in a foreign country and not make sure, not only that we were ok, but that the current users of the facilities are ok as well, because obviously I felt the other children that were using the club were then at risk." |
| Thomas Cook said: "We were very concerned to hear of this incident and we understand how distressing it must have been. | |
| "We are investigating thoroughly with the hotel to understand what happened and we will work with the hotel to make any required changes so that this can't happen again." | |
| The company said its customer welfare team had contacted Ms Alexander to offer support. | |
| The Royal Wings Hotel has denied that an abduction took place and maintained that the hotel's children's club was safe and secure. |