Man who abducted Wiltshire daughters may face new jail term

A man who took his children from their mother and left them with relatives in Libya could be given another jail sentence for contempt of court.

Tanya Borg's daughters were taken from Pewsey in Wiltshire by their father Mohammed El Zubaidy in 2015 and she has been fighting to get them back since.

But a ruling this week found Mohammed El Zubaidy, 43, had breached orders made during the last hearing.

The sentencing has been adjourned until 29 November.

The ruling is the third time he has been found in contempt of court.

He was given a 12-month jail term in August 2017 and a further six months in February 2018.

Another jail term of up to two years could be imposed against his actions.

Ms Borg, 42, has been fighting to get Angel El Zubaidy, now 21-years-old, and her 10-year-old sister, back to Britain since El Zubaidy left them with his mother in Tripoli, in Africa in 2015.

She took High Court action in London following her daughters' disappearance and was granted full custody by British and Libyan courts.

On Wednesday the judge Mr Justice Poole heard how Ms Borg, who was born in Malta and met El Zubaidy two decades ago, had travelled to Libya in 2019.

At the time, a Libyan judge had ruled that she should have custody of her daughters.

But Clare Renton, a barrister representing Ms Borg, told Mr Justice Poole that she still could not remove her daughters from Libya without El Zubaidy's permission.

She said El Zubaidy had to give that permission by signing a document at the Libyan Embassy and a judge in London had earlier this year made orders requiring him to do that.

She explained that he had not complied with the orders and was in contempt.

Mr Justice Poole agreed.

"He has quite blatantly and frankly refused to sign, whether at the Libyan embassy or at all," the judge said.

El Zubaidy had mounted a defence and questioned whether a judge in London had the "jurisdiction" to order him to give written permission.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]