A FOUR-YEAR-OLD who is at the centre of a cross-channel tug of love battle was taken away from her mother by police to hand over to her French father.

An official complaint has now been made to Wiltshire Chief Constable Elizabeth Neville about the way Tilly Annis was seized from her Burbage home on last Thursday night by police acting on a High Court order.

But since the traumatic seizure of the child from her mother, Sarah, there has been a further development in London, and the youngster is now in the care of Westminster Social Services.

Ms Annis, who has reverted to her maiden name following her divorce from French husband Dominique Volant, was at her home in High Street, Burbage, when police called at about 8pm last Thursday evening.

There then ensued what Ms Annis's mother, Pam Annis, called "a three hour stand-off" which eventually resulted in the family allowing the police officer and a WPC to take the child at about 11pm.

Mrs Annis said: "We had a telephone call from Sarah to say police had arrived with a court order to take Tilly. My husband and I were on the scene within ten minutes."

She said her daughter had been preparing to put Tilly to bed when police knocked at the door of their rented cottage.

Mrs Annis said: "Inevitably what followed was very emotional as Sarah, her father and I pleaded with the officers to let Tilly stay until the morning at least. We were all upset and in tears, including Tilly."

She said the officers were clearly reluctant at having to serve the order and the policewoman was visibly upset at having to take the four-year-old from her mother.

A police spokesman said: "The child's father's solicitor presented Wiltshire Police with a High Court order which instructed them to return the child to her father.

"The police were obliged to serve that High Court order on the mother and recover the child."

"The father waited at divisional police headquarters in Salisbury with his solicitor until police officers returned from Burbage with the child who was handed to him."

Mrs Annis and her husband, Eric, have delivered a letter of complaint to Miss Neville about the way police took their granddaughter. Mrs Annis said ,they had no complaints about the police officers who, she said, were only doing their job.

Mrs Annis said the whole family had been traumatised by the incident, including an eight-year-child who was present at the time, but who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Mrs Annis said they were surprised at the father's lawyers implementing the court order when their daughter had said she would be going to the High Court this week to challenge the order made originally by a court in M Volant's hometown of St Nazaire in Brittany.

She said: "We have delivered a very strong letter of complaint to the chief constable, who I believe is a single mother herself, and will be horrified when she reads about the way this family has been treated."

Earlier this year Ms Annis went into hiding with Tilly after the Family Division of the High Court in London recognised a French court order giving custody of the girl to her father.

Despite the court issuing a seek and find order, police and court officials were unable to find the pair, but Ms Annis came out of hiding last week and told police she would appear at the High Court when necessary.

It is understood that when M Volant and Tilly were not to be found at an address he had given in London this week, an order was made for Westminster Social Services to take the child into care when Mr Volant turned up with her at the High Court.

Ms Annis could not be contacted in London, but the family had been told Tilly was with a foster family with two other children. There was no access arrangement for Ms Annis to see Tilly.

Mrs Annis said: "The full legal argument will be heard by the court next Monday and Sarah will be attending."

She said: "Our family has been put through three and a half years of pure unadulterated hell."

M Volant's solicitor, Richard Sharp of Thring and Townsend solicitors in Swindon, said the hearing on Monday would decide where Tilly was to stay.

He said M Volant asked for the court order to be invoked granting custody to him because he feared Ms Annis would disappear again with Tilly. "He had not see his daughter for two years and having had some difficulty in finding her, he feared he would lose the child again."