For the Love of Nadia - My daughter was kidnapped by her father and taken to Libya. This is my heart-wrenching true story of my quest to bring her home. Sarah Taylor

      In the summer of 2006, Fawzi and I were finally divorced. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was sick and tired of trying to work him out and I was ready to move on and live my life without him. I felt more like celebrating than crying.

      Obviously, as a result of the divorce, access to Nadia had to be discussed. I agreed that Fawzi should be allowed to visit my daughter but I wanted him to have supervised access for his visitation rights. Unfortunately, the courts refused and decided that he was entitled to see her without any official supervision. I told them that he had committed the crime of blackmail but the criminal investigations were still being pursued and he hadn’t yet been charged, so the court had to consent to his demands. Fawzi wasn’t bothered about applying for joint custody – he just wanted access. It was agreed that he could have Nadia at his newly rented house in town every Wednesday for two hours and every Saturday all day, alternating with a sleepover every fortnight.

      This arrangement went on for nearly a year and, if I’m honest, I have to say it worked very well. Actually, we got on better during that period than any other time since Nadia was born. We communicated sensibly and politely, and Fawzi behaved himself. Nadia was only three at the time of the divorce so she didn’t really understand what was going on. I told her that Mummy and Daddy wouldn’t be living together any more, but that didn’t mean we loved her any less: we loved her as much as ever. Nadia seemed quite happy spending time with her dad, but I was a bit concerned that his idea of entertainment was to take her to McDonald’s or coffee shops with his friends. He never cooked dinner for her, never mind taking her to places that would interest her – it all seemed like a lot of hard work for him.

      Fortunately, Nadia was loved, looked after and stimulated by the rest of her family. She loved my parents, who doted on her, and greatly enjoyed spending time with my sister Steph and her boyfriend Jay, who she adored. Nadia was a bubbly child and everyone at her nursery school loved her. She was such a happy little thing and was chosen to play a leading role in a concert – The Litter Muncher – that they produced at nursery school. I was so proud of her; we all were – she was the miracle child that everyone thought I could never have. The centre of our universe, she had everyone wrapped round her little finger. She was confident without being precocious, but at the same time she was also well behaved. Even at bedtime, she always did as she was told. I really couldn’t complain about anything, she was just brilliant. We did everything together and we were best friends; she was just a very special daughter.