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| Lorna Vickerage and John Bush found near Euston station in London | Lorna Vickerage and John Bush found near Euston station in London |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| Police are waiting to question the wanted fraudster John Bush, who was found near Euston station in London with the missing 14-year-old Lorna Vickerage on Friday, five days after she went missing from her school in Doncaster. | |
| Bush, 35, was arrested and is now in custody, South Yorkshire police said on Friday afternoon. The pair were spotted by an off-duty police officer at 2.35pm after nationwide appeals for help had previously led to sightings in Leicestershire and Hertfordshire. | Bush, 35, was arrested and is now in custody, South Yorkshire police said on Friday afternoon. The pair were spotted by an off-duty police officer at 2.35pm after nationwide appeals for help had previously led to sightings in Leicestershire and Hertfordshire. |
| Lorna's mother, Christine Vickerage, said she was "so happy" her daughter was safe and well. Police said Lorna was in local authority care and had been placed in a foster home on Friday. | |
| It appears the pair made their way to London via Leicester, Peterborough and Watford. Police said Bush was passing Lorna off as his daughter. | |
| Detective Chief Inspector Craig Robinson, who led the hunt, said: "The staff we sent down from South Yorkshire to London were hot on the trail but, prior to us getting there, BTP [British Transport Police] plain-clothed officers on duty in the station saw the couple and arrested them. | |
| "So it's been a fantastic result. They're both safe and well." | |
| Speaking outside Doncaster police station, Robinson said Lorna's parents were "overwhelmed and over the moon". | |
| "They can't say how much they want to thank everyone who's been involved. They're absolutely so appreciative, it's unbelievable. I'm really pleased that it's come to such a pleasant conclusion, to be honest. You always fear the worst – that these things turn sour." | |
| Explaining more about how the 35-year-old was caught, Robinson said: "He's gone to Euston station where two police officers from British Transport Police – who were working in plain clothes and were briefed and had photographs of these two on them – identified them. | |
| "They jumped on John Bush and arrested him and took Lorna into care." | |
| Police had earlier issued an all-ports alert and Lorna's mother and grandmother made emotional appeals for her return home. | |
| Bush is said to have links to a relatively distant member of Lorna's family but is not known to either her mother or grandparents. | Bush is said to have links to a relatively distant member of Lorna's family but is not known to either her mother or grandparents. |
| Lorna went missing from the Outwood Academy at 2.30pm on Monday and she was reportedly seen with Bush in the Highfields area of the town on Wednesday. The pair tried to check in to a hotel in Watford at 11pm on Thursday night but the card Bush wanted to use was declined, prompting the suspicions of the management, Robinson told a press conference in Doncaster earlier on Friday. | |
| Lorna and Bush were then believed to have gone to a hotel next door. | Lorna and Bush were then believed to have gone to a hotel next door. |
| Before Lorna was found Robinson said: "She is vulnerable and needs to be brought back home quickly … As time progresses they are getting further south. I don't want them to leave the country. They would be foolish to try." | Before Lorna was found Robinson said: "She is vulnerable and needs to be brought back home quickly … As time progresses they are getting further south. I don't want them to leave the country. They would be foolish to try." |
| Lorna had clearly been taken with her consent, said Robinson. "At the moment, we don't know his [Bush's] motives. There has been speculation they have been having a relationship but we just don't know." | Lorna had clearly been taken with her consent, said Robinson. "At the moment, we don't know his [Bush's] motives. There has been speculation they have been having a relationship but we just don't know." |
| Lorna's mother, Christine, in an appeal on Friday had said: "Lorna – you're in no trouble. Just come home, sweetheart." | Lorna's mother, Christine, in an appeal on Friday had said: "Lorna – you're in no trouble. Just come home, sweetheart." |
| The investigation had already shifted to Sproxton and a Ford Mondeo the pair were believed to have been using was recovered near a hotel. It is being forensically examined. The pair were also reported to be heading towards Melton Mowbray station on Thursday morning but those who made the sightings in Leicestershire did not know there was a nationwide hunt until later in the day, when they contacted police. | The investigation had already shifted to Sproxton and a Ford Mondeo the pair were believed to have been using was recovered near a hotel. It is being forensically examined. The pair were also reported to be heading towards Melton Mowbray station on Thursday morning but those who made the sightings in Leicestershire did not know there was a nationwide hunt until later in the day, when they contacted police. |
| Earlier this year Bush was described as a "professional fraudster" by a judge who gave him a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for two years on condition that he did 200 hours of unpaid work. York crown court heard how Bush committed a range of frauds, including persuading garages to give him courtesy cars that he did not return and using a holiday cottage without paying. | Earlier this year Bush was described as a "professional fraudster" by a judge who gave him a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for two years on condition that he did 200 hours of unpaid work. York crown court heard how Bush committed a range of frauds, including persuading garages to give him courtesy cars that he did not return and using a holiday cottage without paying. |
| Another 35-year-old man from the Doncaster area has also been arrested on suspicion of child abduction in connection with the investigation. | Another 35-year-old man from the Doncaster area has also been arrested on suspicion of child abduction in connection with the investigation. |
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