Kidnap family celebrate the perfect Christmas gift (From This Is Wiltshire)

Kidnap family celebrate the perfect Christmas gift

9:08am Monday 10th December 2007 in

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WHEN Samantha Lowry embarked on a gap year, little did she imagine she would meet the father-to-be of her first child.

She also could not have known that a holiday with this man years later would lead to a love affair with someone capable of destroying her life when he kidnapped their eight-week old son Sebastian back in May.

Samantha, 24, first met Daniel Pavon-Cuellar six years ago in the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta, and they were reunited three years later after her degree when she holidayed at his family's hotel. This fortnight turned into a two-year relationship complete with a move to Austin in Texas.

"I'd noticed Daniel could be a little crazy but I'd learnt to deal with it," she said.

"He could never be wrong and I realised it was easier to just apologise and get on with things.

"But after Sebastian was born, Daniel just couldn't take it as Sebastian was getting all the attention."

Despite help and encouragement from Samantha's mum Susan, Pavon-Cuellar would not get involved in the upbringing of his newborn son and more serious arguments and fights erupted between the couple.

One time he smashed a glass showering Samantha and Sebastian with shards, and on another occasion he smeared fish on her belongings.

Samantha left him and was living with a friend, although she regularly visited Pavon-Cuellar, 40, allowing him contact with his son.

But when they visited on May 25 events took a desperate turn.

By the end of the day, Samantha had been locked out of her former home and when she tried to call the police from a neighbour's house, Pavon-Cuellar seized his chance. He ran out of the house, bundled Sebastian into his car - which had no safety seat - and drove off.

He took the baby to his native Mexico.

"We had about three days of not eating and sleeping, talking to the police and trying to get the authorities to help us," said Samantha.

"I was told by police to act friendly and nice to Daniel when he emailed and called."

But this was hard, as Pavon-Cuellar sent hundreds of emails to relatives and the media in the UK and America, including more than 100 to the Adver alone, taking his case to the top and writing to President George W Bush.

He alleged Samantha was sleeping with lawyers, members of the FBI and embassy officials, even with President Bush in a bid to get her way. Claims also came that the Lowrys were a "mob" family, being headed up by grandfathers - who have been dead for years.

The breakthrough came six months after Sebastian had been snatched when the family was provided with emails by a psychologist, designed to break through Pavon-Cuellar's mentality and lead to negotiations for the infant's return.

As there had already been many broken promises, Samantha and her brother Joe, 27, who spent recent months in America and Mexico hunting for Sebastian, were reluctant to get their hopes up when a meeting between lawyers, the former couple and embassy officials witnessing events, was scheduled for last Monday.

"I got so depressed when one day he hadn't written at all and we took it as a bad sign, but he then wrote that evening," said Samantha.

"We really tried to make ourselves believe it wasn't happening this time, but he seemed quite serious."

Routes from Pavon-Cuellar's lawyers' offices to the airport were planned with decoy stop-offs in case they were followed. In the event the meeting went on for many hours before the family was reunited. Samantha was preparing herself to agree to conditions for Sebastian's return. But many of these would have no legal grounding as everything would be classed as "under duress" in American law.

When Monday came, things went to plan, until arriving at the office to discover Pavon-Cuellar had not arrived with Sebastian.

"I signed that I would drop all court orders, but of course I cannot as they are state orders," said Samantha. "I was prepared to do anything to get my child back.

"Everyone in that room knew I would not let that man have my baby."

Eventually Pavon-Cuellar's legal team called him and arranged to collect Sebastian and bring him to the office.

"That first day, I was so emotional that it was making Sebastian emotional too.

"Sebastian found it overwhelming as I think he wasn't used to seeing people," said Samantha. "I was shaking too, and it was overwhelming for me - it was amazing to have him again.

"Getting on the plane was the first time I could think about it."

Now Samantha is getting used to being a mum again. Sitting peacefully with Sebastian asleep on her lap, it is plain to see their bond, despite the months of separation.

"If I call his name in a room, he reaches for me," she said.

"He was scared of laughter the first day. Maybe he'd not heard it before, and every now and then he gets upset. But he is crazily happy.

"In terms of health, he's been checked over and other than being light for his length he seems fine. He's a bit yellow, but we don't know if that's from eating too many carrots."

As yet, the family does not know how Sebastian has been treated in the past six months and if there will be any lasting psychological damage. The hope is that he is too young to have been seriously disturbed.

Beyond Christmas at home, the family is not looking too far into the future, but Samantha knows she could face a court battle against Pavon-Cuellar, which she can choose to have in this country.

And even if that does not go ahead, she does not expect he is now out of her life for good.

"He will harass me for the rest of our lives," said Samantha.