Llanelli woman disappears with children

By Jonathan Williams

Police are trying to trace Jennifer Jones and her children Jessica 14, Tomas 12, Eva 9 and David Palacin Jones 8.

The children should have been returned to their father on the Spanish island of Majorca, but they weren’t as there’s an ongoing legal dispute between Ms Jones and her estranged Spanish husband, Tomas Palacin Cambra.

Mr Justice Roderic Wood said on Tuesday at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London:

“I am very concerned about the children.”

“They must be found. I ask anyone who knows where they are or might have seen them to tell this court or the local police.”

“This is the second time this mother has abducted the children from Spain, the last time she did so was in 2009.”

Ms Jones had been ordered to return the children to Spain by midnight last Friday (12th October) but had not done so, neither had she attended a High Court hearing in London on Monday.

“The mother came to my court yesterday and argued through her barrister that the order of Mr Justice Hedley… should be set aside,” said Mr Justice Roderic Wood.

“I declined to set that order aside.”

“I was also concerned that the mother might abscond overnight and so I, with a heavy heart, ordered that the children were to be immediately removed from the mother’s care and placed in the care of the local authority for a short period of time so that they could be returned to Spain without delay.”

“When the police came to remove the children very early this morning from the mother’s house in Llanelli, Wales, they found the mother and the children had gone.”

“The mother removed them from her home in the middle of the night. Her and her children’s whereabouts are unknown. I do not know the mother’s intentions.”

A close friend of Ms Jones said they were all “devastated” by the court’s decision, describing it as “a desperate plight”. The friend, who wasn’t named said that they were certain the children were not in any danger with their mother, but no-one knew where they had gone.

About an hour ago (21:00), a Facebook page appeared called Jenny and her Children need your help. A comment on the site says:

JENNY AND HER CHILDREN NEED YOUR HELP: Jenny has been fighting to keep her children for 3 years. She has defended the right of the children to stay with their mother in the High Court representing herself as she has run out of funds in the battle to keep them. Yesterday she was told the Police were coming to place them in care before sending them back to their father in Spain.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? These children were born in Wales to a Welsh mother and want to stay with her. Like all mothers, Jenny would do anything to keep her children with her and unfortunately has been pushed to this drastic action for their sake.

PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR JENNY AND THE CHILDREN by liking and sharing this page. She never has and never would put them in danger. She just wants to keep her family together – wouldn’t you?

So far the page has had about 60 likes and one of those likers Leela Treacy wrote the following:

The British justice system – such a wonderful thing! There are soooooo many children in this country who are genuinely at risk and nothing is done about that. Yet a witch hunt is launched for a loving caring mother such a fair society we live in!

Regarding the judges concerns, the Facebook page says:

No cause for concern. The option was being taken away by the police. These children are in school in Llanelli and happy and settled here. They live in a ‘tidy house’, as the Welsh would say. There is a legal issue here, yes, but surely all sides should get a fair hearing. This has not happened.

However, a spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said:

“Should anyone have any information concerning the whereabouts of the children they should contact us on 101”

Ms Jones is about 5ft 7in (1.7m) tall, slim, has strawberry blonde wavy hair and brown eyes. This picture is from the Facebook page and purports to be her. She is also thought to be with her partner, John Williams.