By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE father of a 15-year-old girl, who was released from police custody into the care of a woman purporting to be her aunt, wants harsh penalties imposed on the officers responsible.

Adeisha Francis was found yesterday and later taken to the Wilamae Pratt Centre for girls, police sources confirmed to The Tribune.

However, her father Anthony Francis questioned how his daughter could be released into the custody of someone with no familial ties. Police sources said charges were brought against the woman for falsifying an identity to authorities.

Adeisha had been missing for three weeks before her arrest. Later her whereabouts had police stumped when she was released to the woman last Sunday. She was taken into custody for allegedly stealing from a store on Wulff Road on April 26.

“You can’t get anything done if you don’t go to the press,” Mr Francis said, “it was only then were the police inspired into action and started trying to get her.

“Police told me that I did a lousy job of trying to find my daughter even though I was given the run-around in an attempt to secure her. Those officers who released her should be penalised and brought before the courts.”

Mr Francis told The Tribune on Friday that he had frantically searched for his daughter at three police stations in New Providence, including the Quakoo Police Station, the Wulff Road Police Station, and the Central Police Station.

At the time he said: “They promised me they wouldn’t let her go. That’s a minor. You released a minor into the custody of people you don’t even know and you still can’t find her? I’m very hurt and highly disappointed because I assisted the police, let them know they have someone in custody using an alias, let them know she has a matter pending from another station and I did all the run around and they still let her go to people who wouldn’t have been capable of providing identification showing they are responsible for her.”

Relatives said Adeisha had a laundry list of behavioural problems which included stealing her brother’s car and running away. Police have still not made clear to The Tribune why the public was never informed that her whereabouts were unknown.