Brighton father's international plea to find his young daughter

A father from Brighton has gone public with an international plea to find his eight-year-old daughter, one year since she disappeared along with her mother. But Sussex Police have told More Radio that, despite a European Arrest Warrant being issued against the child's mother, there's no suggestion the little girl is at any known risk of harm—a statement her father, Christian Penwill, disagrees with. He said the difficulties began when a relationship with his then partner, Lithuanian film executive Inese Ivanova, failed in the early summer of 2018. In a detailed set of notes Mr. Penwill supplied to More Radio, he claimed his ex left their home in November that year, taking their daughter Nina with her. He said no information about their whereabouts was given to him, and contact with his daughter became severely restricted. Christian added that, as a result of Nina being apparently "at risk", an official order was made preventing her mother, Ms. Ivanova, from removing the child from the UK. However, Sussex Police confirmed that, on January 24 2019, they received a report from the distraught father, stating that his daughter had been taken with her mother out of the country—to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, according to the child's father. He claimed this month that, despite court orders in the Baltic state requiring contact, none was given. According to Christian, after he returned to court to obtain an emergency custody order allowing him to take back his daughter, she and her mother became untraceable. In his own words, "they have disappeared, and their whereabouts are unknown". This week, he appealed to the general public, through news organisations and social media, for information about where his daughter could be. He also called Sussex Police's statement, regarding the eight-year-old being at no known risk of harm, as "completely idiotic and absolutely crazy", saying his absence from her life must be causing her to go through "emotional and psychological abuse". When More Radio asked about the case, Sussex Police said: "On 24 January 2019 we received a report that a girl then aged seven (now eight) living in Brighton had been taken out of the UK without the authority of her father and in contravention of Family Court Orders on 6 December 2018 and 22 January 2019, prohibiting her from being taken out of the UK. "Our enquiries showed that the girl had left the UK on 23 January. "A European Arrest Warrant (EAW) has been granted by Brighton magistrates for the arrest of a named person on a charge of child abduction. "So far the person has not been traced and is not believed to have returned to the UK since January 2019. "There is no suggestion at this time that the child in question is at any known risk of harm." Sussex Police also confirmed they are working with judicial authorities in the UK and Lithuania to seek progress in this case. More Radio is continuously dedicated to providing a quality news service on-air and online, reporting local stories that matter across Sussex. If you enjoyed reading this story, then check out our home page at moreradio.online where you can find the latest from the county, along with features and competitions from our presenters, as well as listening to the station live. You can also sign up to our news alerts to receive updates on new stories. Simply click on the bell at the bottom right of the home page. This will then allow a pop-up which will ask if you would like to receive alerts. Press ‘allow’ and you’re all signed up! You can also follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.