A SOLICITOR from the region is spearheading a campaign to reunite a mother with her 11-year-old son, who she claims was kidnapped in the Middle East.

John McArdle of Darlington is in daily contact with Rebecca Jones, who maintains that she was tricked into signing over custody of her son Adam to his Qatari relatives.

Mr McArdle first heard about Mrs Jones story while visiting friends in Bahrain. He said he felt compelled to act.

"Journalists and lawyers are used to dealing with stories that are in shades of grey, he added. But this is not one of them. It is an outrageous miscarriage of closed justice. Every day this boy is retained in Qatar is a day of his childhood lost."

Adam has been adopted by relatives of his father, who died in a car crash in 2005. His father and Miss Jones had been married but had separated. Although they remained on amicable terms, Adam's father played only a minor role in his upbringing.

Last year, the family of Adam's father invited Miss Jones and her son to visit them in Qatar, claiming Adam was in line to inherit land and money due to his father.

During the visit, Miss Jones and Adam were taken to a building, which they did not realise was a courtroom. Miss Jones was told to sign a document in Arabic which would formalise Adams inheritance. But moments after she had signed it, Adam was snatched from her and driven away.

It transpires that the document would relinquish her custody.

After pursuing the case through the Qatari court system, Mrs Jones was eventually granted supervised access two days a week.

But in order to visit Adam she must travel from her home in Bahrain.

Mr McArdle said he would attempt to raise awareness of the issue while providing advise and support to Mrs Jones, who is originally from the Sheffield area.

"We will continue with this as long as it takes this boy to get home, he added. We will not go away. I think it is reasonable to expect this boy can return to his mum.

"Rebecca has been devastated by this. Then there is the expense of having to travel back and forth. Her life is on hold, but like any mother would be in this situation, she is absolutely determined to get her son back."