To my beautiful princess, Nadia. She is a delightful and wonderful little girl and I’m so very proud to call her my daughter. She has been through so much and has come out the other side, always smiling. When she reads this book I hope she can fully understand why I did what I did. Nadia is my life and I will do anything to protect her.
I love you darling ‘to infinity and beyond’.
Mum xxx
There are so many people that have helped me, given me the confidence along the way and encouraged me to keep going, and never give up. I hope I have included everyone, but please forgive me if I have omitted anyone.
First of all, I would like to give a special thanks to my wonderful parents, David and Dorothy Taylor, who have supported me throughout, never doubted me and made me the person I am today. They really are the best parents and grandparents we could wish for. I hope I am as good a parent to Nadia as you have been to me. I don’t tell you both often enough, but I love you both very much.
To my brother Andrew and his wife Kirsty and my sister Steph and her partner Jamie for their love and support. Thank you – all of you.
My local MP, Andy Burnham, for his constant support and for keeping the governments in Libya and the UK on their toes.
Detective Superintendent Phil Owen for being ‘my rock’ and for being on the other end of the phone when I needed that extra push to keep going, and all the staff at Greater Manchester Police who were involved in Nadia’s story.
While I was in Libya, the British Ambassador, Vincent Fean, and his wife, Anne, for always going that extra mile. You are a wonderful couple and you will be forever in our thoughts. Thank you.
Arvinder Vohra, Vice Consul in Tripoli. What can I say? Thanks for letting me cry on your shoulder and for your reassurance and honesty. The Deputy Ambassador Mark Matthews, and co-worker Farouk for their hard work and professionalism.
All the other staff at the British Embassy in Libya. Thank you for helping bring Nadia home.
I am so grateful to Sally, Abi, Sophie, Sammy, Sarah and Hussain for accepting me – a complete stranger – into your home in my hour of need. I thank you for that and your loving support all the time I was in Libya. I love you guys. Thanks to Anne Otman, Osama and Hadile, for being my second mum, for taking me under your wings and treating me like one of your own. Also to Hannah for coming to court with me and translating when necessary.
Fiona Ratib, Sue Bouhulia, Elaine Musa, Angela, Paula for being my friends for your support and understanding and providing some much needed distraction from all the dramas!
My friends and work colleagues at Revenue and Customs for their complete support throughout. A special mention to Linda Clarkson for being there for me on the dreadful day that Nadia was kidnapped.
My cousins Lee and Simon Schofield and sister-in-law Kirsty for participating in the charitable parachute jump for Nadia.
Dave and Kelly Woodhead for organising the auction night.
Mum’s works, Electrium, for the fun day they organised.
Dad’s works, Rainford Solutions, for their collection.
Brooklyns day nursery for the sponsored walk.
Catherine and Paul of CP Mini Travel, for their donation.
Thanks to Andy Merriman for his help in writing this book and to my editor, Sara Cywinski, at John Blake Publishing for her assistance and guidance.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Chapter 1 In a little Wigan Garden
Chapter 2 A Miracle Child
Chapter 3 Kidnapped
Chapter 4 A Fortnight in Tripoli
Chapter 5 Righting the Unrightable Wrong
Chapter 6 The Quest Begins
Chapter 7 Following the Leader
Chapter 8 False Trails, Videos and a Yashmak
Chapter 9 Can We Throw Snowballs at Granddad?
Chapter 10 Wishing on a Star
Copyright
There’s an old cliché about ordinary people having the capacity to do extraordinary things. Sarah Taylor’s story invests new meaning into that well-worn phrase. It’s a story of hope for any parent fighting for a child against impossible odds.
Leaving a job, home and family in Wigan for Libya, with little more than the clothes you stand up in, takes a particular brand of determination and courage. As Sarah always said, it’s what any parent in her position would have done. She’s probably right, but the truth is that not every parent would have the strength of character to go on to achieve what Sarah did, and in the incredible way she did it.
My involvement began in late 2008 when Sarah’s mum and dad, Dot and Dave, visited my advice surgery in Golborne with Detective Inspector Phil Owen. Alongside reports of noisy neighbours or bins not collected, the story they began to describe stood out.
I will always remember my surprise when Dot and Dave told me how this young woman, Sarah – who at that point I hadn’t met – had already secured, on her own steam, an audience with ‘The Leader’ and recruited him to her cause. There and then, I knew that this Sarah was a force to be reckoned with. She has that rare combination of fierce intelligence, with a genuine warmth and decency – qualities that never deserted her, even during her darkest hours, which explains why so many people wanted to help her.
The truth is, she couldn’t have achieved it on her own and I’ll be forever grateful for the incredible professionalism and compassion of Phil Owen, Ambassador Vincent Fean and his staff. They represent British public service at its best.
Sarah’s journey was, of course, intensely personal but one of the remarkable things about her story is the extent to which the personal inevitably became entangled with the public and the political.
The backdrop to all of the events described in this book is a simmering Libya and Middle East on the brink of massive upheaval. It didn’t feel like it at the time, but, looking back, I can see now that the timing of Sarah’s fight was perhaps the single biggest stroke of luck she had. The co-operation we were able to secure between the British and Libyan Governments on Nadia’s case simply wouldn’t have been possible, even five years earlier, without the thawing of relations in the middle of the decade. But it’s also the case that, if Nadia hadn’t been located before Libya was engulfed in the chaos of civil war, then there are real doubts over whether we would have ever got her back.
Just before Christmas 2011, I was invited to the opening of a new primary school. It was only when I walked into the classroom that I remembered this was Nadia’s school. Seeing that confident smile from such a beautiful girl, and hearing her speak with the broadest of Wigan accents, will always be one of the most rewarding moments of my life.
Rt. Honourable Andy Burnham,
Shadow Health Secretary, February 2013