Teacher's dad in plea to runaways

A week after they fled together to the Continent, pleas have grown for a married teacher and his teenage pupil to get in contact.

The father of 30-year-old Jeremy Forrest fought back tears as he begged his son or 15-year-old Megan Stammers to call or email home.

As the hunt for the pair intensified with the issuing of a European Arrest Warrant, there were reports of a possible sighting of the runaways in Paris.

British grandmother Brigitte Ripley, from Bramley, near Guildford, Surrey, told The Sun she saw them walking hand-in-hand and window-shopping in the French capital on Sunday - the day they were due on a ferry back to Britain.

Mrs Ripley, 73, told the newspaper: "I noticed her as she had a similar bird-patterned blouse to one of mine - I'm as sure as I can be that it was Megan. She was in front of me, a youngish girl with long, dark hair. She seemed well, she seemed fine. They were just like anyone else walking around in Paris. They looked like tourists."

The information was passed on to Sussex Police to investigate, the newspaper said.

As a team of British police travelled to France to continue the search, the family of the missing pair implored them to get in touch.

Flanked by his wife Julie, Jim Forrest made a direct appeal to the runaways.

Mr Forrest, of Petts Wood, south-east London, said: "Hi Megan, hi Jeremy, I hope this message reaches you and you are both okay. There are a lot of people back home that are desperate to hear from you. All I am asking is for one of you to make a call, send an email, so we know you are both safe. We are all here for you both. Please, please get in contact."

He made his appeal as police said that an international letter of request and European Arrest Warrant have been issued in relation to child abduction. Police declined to comment on where Megan, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, and Mr Forrest may be now, but there is no "specific suggestion" that they are in Spain.