Boys Missing On Visit To Sweden
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday November 18, 2008
THE Family Court has granted permission to reveal the identities of two Melbourne boys and their Swedish mother who have been missing for more than a month in a bid to help find them.
Frank Oliver Valette, 11, and Andre Nicholas Valette, 9, have been missing since they visited their mother, Ann-Louise Valette, in Sweden. The Age revealed last week that a Melbourne man had flown to Sweden to search for his sons, after Ms Valette defied a Family Court order to return the children to Australia on October 11. Overnight, Ms Valette also failed to turn up to a Swedish court hearing that she had been ordered to attend. The Herald can publish the details under a strict publication order by the Family Court granted to the father of the children. The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has not seen nor heard from the children for more than a month despite orders made in the Family Court in June that the children live with him, and granting Ms Valette one month with them. Ms Valette was permitted to take the children to Sweden because she had promised she would return them by that date. When she failed to return the children, the Family Court last month issued a recovery order that the Australian Federal Police, state police and the marshal of the Family Court recover the children. Swedish police have been trying to find Ms Valette and the children. Interpol has been informed. Inspector Peter Sehlin from the Swedish police told the Herald last night that Ms Valette faced a possible jail term. "If we find her she will go to jail for a maximum of four days, and then within four days the prosecutor has to go to the [Swedish] court to charge her for the crime and then she can be in custody for many weeks," he said. "Then there is a main court session and after that the court will send her to jail or release her." Any information about the whereabouts of Ms Valette and the children should be given to the Australian Federal Police on (02) 6126 7777. This number applies in all states and territories.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald
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