Appeal for return of baby boys

The mother of two baby boys, who gardaí believe have been illegally taken from the State, has made an emotional appeal for their return.

Ms Baiba Saulite has not seen her children, Ali Alexsandra Hassan (2½) and Mohamed Rami Hassan (1), for a month.

The children were collected from their home in Swords, Co Dublin, by their father, Mr Hassan Hassan, who is estranged from Ms Saulite, on December 6th. Mr Hassan was due to bring them back three days later but failed to return.

Ms Saulite, who is Latvian, said that when she contacted Mr Hassan to insist he return the children, he told her they had been taken to England and she would not see them again.

Mr Hassan, a Lebanese national, was ordered by the District Court on December 14th to produce his children in court by Christmas Eve. He failed to do so and has been remanded in Clover Hill prison ever since.

Earlier this week gardaí confirmed the children were in another country with relatives of Mr Hassan. However, speaking on RTÉ's Liveline programme yesterday, Ms Saulite said she did not know where they were.

"I don't know anymore where my children are, this is the worst thing. I don't know anything about my children - I don't even know how they are or if they're okay."

Mr Hassan appeared in court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody for another week. He has been ordered to produce his children before his next court appearance on January 11th.