Runaway schoolgirl Laura Stainforth back in the UK

Laura Stainforth, the 15-year-old girl who was found in France a week after vanishing from her Lincolnshire home, has returned to the UK.

However, the Cleethorpes schoolgirl is unlikely to return to her home town at this time, police have said.

She attended the British consulate in Lille with Robert Williams, 49, on Wednesday.

Mr Williams appeared before a court in Douai earlier. He is to be held in a French prison until next Tuesday.

Humberside Police said Laura would be interviewed by specially-trained officers before being reunited with her family.

In a statement, the force said: "Police will continue to work closely with both Laura and her family to ensure that they are re-united as soon as possible and would ask that they are left alone at this time to return to normality.

"On her return, Laura will be interviewed by specially-trained officers in order to establish her current state of well being and the circumstances surrounding the last week."

Laura is understood to have met Mr Williams on the internet.

Mr Williams, who is currently on bail after being questioned over an alleged teenage rape, was told in court that a European arrest warrant had been issued against him.

He will next appear in court on Tuesday, where the validity of the extradition request will be considered.

If it is successful, he will be extradited to the UK within 10 days.

Laura sparked a huge search when she disappeared from her home on 14 January after telling her parents she was going shopping.

Det Ch Insp Sharon Fielding, of Humberside Police, said officers had received a tip-off on Tuesday from a member of the public who reported having seen Laura in the Lille area.

She said officers had travelled to France and had worked with the authorities to bring Laura home.

Det Ch Insp Fielding said on Wednesday: "The investigation hasn't ended today, it has actually just started,"

"We've got a lot to talk to Laura about."

She said the schoolgirl could have been chatting to Mr Williams on the internet for up to six months.

Ms Fielding said Laura's family were "absolutely delighted" on hearing the news she had been found safe and well.

"It was very difficult for them," she said. "Laura had never gone missing before. She's a nice, hard-working girl. It just came completely out of the blue.

"I imagine there were tears when they found out she was safe."

Laura and Mr Williams were captured on CCTV at Grimsby railway station on the night she went missing.

They were then seen on the Pride of Kent ferry, heading from Dover to Calais, on Thursday.

Durham Police said earlier that Mr Williams is currently on bail after being questioned over the alleged rape of a 16-year-old from West Sussex. He was arrested over the matter in Darlington last December.

BBC News