The Runaway Schoolgirl

One Friday in September 2012, mother of five Davina Williams found herself facing two policemen on her doorstep. It was the start of a year-long nightmare that haunts the entire family. Her fifteen-year-old daughter was missing, and soon after was captured on CCTV boarding a ferry to France with her school teacher Jeremy Forrest. Here Davina Williams, mother of the teenager referred to as Gemma Grant, tells the story of the abduction and subsequent capture of Forrest, its harrowing aftermath and the traumatic trial to make Forrest pay for his crimes. Told as only a mother knows how, and updating to include her reactions to Forrest's release in July this year, Williams hopes her heart-wrenching story will allow her family to finally move on with their lives.