Mother’s heartbreak over husband’s kidnap of baby he took to Libya

Mal Szymanowicz, 34, was clothes shopping with her 15 week old baby when the father grabbed her and flew to the Libyan city of Tripoli.

Talia has still not been allowed to return to Britain, and her mother has not seen her for nearly two years.

Maher Belaid, 35, has said he would rather go to jail than give up his daughter - and so he is now serving a six and a half year prison sentence.

Mother Mal said ‘I can’t even put my pain into words.’

‘I wonder if I will ever see my beautiful daughter again. I cry every single day for her.’

‘She was only 15 weeks old when she was stolen, now she is two. It’s so long since I held her in my arms, they feel so empty.’

Mal and Maher’s marriage broke down soon after Talia was born. It was then that the husband made the decision to take his child back to his home country - which is in the middle of a civil war.

Talia is now being looked after by Belaid’s family in Libya, and reportedly calls his grandma mum.

The judge who sentenced Maher said: ‘Rarely have I seen a case of such unspeakable cruelty.’