Danish kidnap dad evades police across Europe
The Danish man who together with an accomplice kidnapped his son by force from his ex-wife in Austria and then managed to evade an international arrest warrant as he fled over 1,000 miles back to Denmark is unlikely to have to hand the boy back.
Dane Thomas Sörensen had used an accomplice to pin down his ex-wife while he grabbed the boy from her hands as she took him to the nursery in the morning at their home in Graz, Austria.
While the mother screamed for help the father had bundled the terrified boy into a hired car and then sped off with his accomplice to where he had a second car waiting, and had switched vehicles to drive back to Denmark.
Austrian police instantly issued an international arrest warrant but admitted that if the man managed to make it back to Denmark where courts had given him custody of the child it was unlikely that he would have to be extradited or that the child could be returned to the mother.
Mum Marion Wailharter, 40, who separated from the Danish man shortly after the birth and then returned to Austria where she had full custody of Oliver, 5, in 2010 said the boy had been terrified as he was dragged off.
She said: “I am living a nightmare. I warned police here that he might do something like this but they ignored me. I have been told I may not be allowed to have him back even though the police in Denmark know where he is. They said it’s a domestic matter for the lawyers to decide. It’s incredible that he can come here and by force take the law into his own hands and escape punishment.”
According to Danish media the man has already registered his location with the police and has promised to give them a full statement after he has enjoyed Easter with his son and family.
He reportedly said that the boy was happy to be back in Denmark and added that the mother would be welcome to visit the boy at any stage.
Prosecutor spokesman in Graz, Thomas Mühlbacher, said at this stage it was important that the father and son did not feel as if they were being hunted.
He said: “In the first instance we want to make sure that the boy is okay.”
Lawyers for the mother have already started proceedings to have the boy extradited back to Austria, but realise that this could well be rejected by Danish officials.