A mother has been reunited with her son, 27 years after she claims he was kidnapped, after her sister saw him on the social networking site Facebook.

Avril Grube, 62, who lives in Poole, Dorset, says she was given custody of her son Gavin Paros after her marriage to a Hungarian man broke down in 1982.

His father, who died in 2006, had visiting rights but took him to Hungary and Ms Grube has not seen him since.

But Mr Paros, 29, met his mother this week after being found on Facebook.

Ms Grube, who was only discharged from hospital a week ago, said: "I would love it so much to have Gavin back living in Britain."


She and her sister Beryl Wilson, 59, who lives in Liverpool, had spent years trying to trace their relative, even contacting the Hungarian Embassy and taking their case to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Ms Wilson told BBC Radio Solent: "[Mr Paros' father] had visitation rights, he said he was going to the zoo or somewhere and when he didn't arrive back we found out he had taken him back to Hungary.

"My sister was devastated, her health suffered.

"I tried everything... but no-one wanted to know."

In March, Ms Wilson typed her nephew's name into an internet search engine and could not believe it when his Facebook profile came up correctly showing he had been born in Liverpool and naming his mother.

"I was so relieved, it took me 27 years but I never gave up," Ms Wilson said.

'On cloud nine'

He had not logged into the site since October last year and did not respond to initial emails, but after Ms Wilson messaged his children Mr Paros emailed back.

Ms Wilson said: "My sister would phone him on a Sunday and speak to him through an interpreter.

"She is just absolutely on cloud nine.

"They have been hugging, really, really happy.

"At Christmas my sister had a stroke, she suffers from angina, diabetes and chronic nose bleeds... but it is very important that now is the time she spends with her son because she is not a well lady."

Plasterer Gavin, who turns 30 on Saturday, is now married with three children and had also been trying to trace his family for the past five years