14 DAY TRIAL // 30-year-old married math teacher Jeremy Forrest has been charged with abducting a student in his math class by the name of Megan Stammers, upon his return to the UK.
Forrest and 15-year-old lover Stammers made headlines all throughout last month after their whirlwind romance ended up in an international manhunt. The girl was reported missing from her home in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on September 20.
CCTV footage revealed she was alive and well, and had willingly boarded a ferry to Calais, France with her teacher, with whom she believed and perhaps still believes she was in love. Prior to her departure, she had published a bucket list online, raising concerns as to her wellbeing.
Forrest and Stammers were found in Bordeaux, France one week after fleeing the UK. Reports showed they had planned to start a new life there, with Forrest applying for bartender jobs, claiming to be a musician, and using a different name.
The married teacher had sent the young student messages such as “You hit me like heroin,” and had even written a song for her.
The pair was split up as French police found them holding hands while walking to one of Forrest's interviews. Forrest was arrested and imprisoned for two weeks in Bordeaux.
After last week's extradition hearing, in which he expressed he wished to return to England to be with his beloved, the court ruled for him to be tried in the UK. He was flown back to England and passed through Gatwick Airport yesterday.
He was taken into custody by British police officers, after being issued a European Arrest Warrant, the Daily Mail reports. He will be tried by the Eastbourne Magistrates' Court these following months.
Megan Stammers was returned to her family immediately after being found, and witnesses say she was glad to get back and appeared in a good mood.
Forrest's case centers around a love affair, as the man claims it was never a case of rape and abduction and that he never hurt the teenager.