Child abduction terror in Bulgaria

A British mother has spoken of her terror at discovering that her three-year-old daughter had been kidnapped during a family holiday in Bulgaria.

Gail Williams tracked down her daughter, Sian, a mile away from a supermarket where she had been snatched by a stranger, according to reports.

The toddler was lured to a car in the Golden Sands holiday resort while Gail’s back was turned.

The youngster was driven to a nearby forest but was spotted by several locals who raised the alarm and managed to free her from her abductor who ran off.

Ms Williams, 32, of Swinton, Rotherham, told The Times: “It was a terrifying ordeal and I am just happy and relieved we have Sian back. I only turned my back for a moment and she had gone. I feel so guilty and stupid now. It’s just so frightening. She was there one minute and gone the next.

“It was the most awful moment of my life when I realised she had gone. I looked everywhere and then started chasing up and down the street.”

She told how a woman came up to her and asked if she was looking for a little girl. They then got into a van and gave chase where they found a man holding Sian’s hand on the kerb beside a yellow car.

One of the local men grabbed Sian off the kidnapper.

Bulgarian police searched the area but failed to trace the man. Sian was not injured in the ordeal.

Ms Williams, who has since returned home, said the incident reminded her of the kidnapping of 21-month-old Ben Needham who vanished while he was on holiday in the Greek island of Kos in 1991.

“He was blonde just like Sian and that makes them stand out in countries where people are dark-haired,” she said.

A British Foreign Office spokesman said the abduction was an isolated incident.