Judge tells dad to find missing Atiya Anjum-Wilkinson

A judge has told a man who was jailed for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of his missing daughter to "make sure she is brought back".

Atiya Anjum-Wilkinson went missing on her third birthday in November 2009.

Her father, Razwan Ali Anjum, of Ashton-under-Lyne, later indicated she was in Pakistan or Iran but has refused to disclose her exact whereabouts.

In the latest hearing at the High Court in London he said he had "no more information" about where Atiya was.

The judge said Anjum, who is in his late 20s, had a history of "dishonesty" and urged him to find out where five-year-old Atiya was and make sure she was returned to her mother, Gemma Wilkinson, who is also from Ashton-under-Lyne.

Anjum has received four consecutive jail terms for refusing to reveal where his missing daughter is.

Markanza Cudby, acting for Anjum, told the court that her client had taken Atiya when he was "cross".

"He has got himself into a situation from which he is struggling to extract himself," Miss Cudby said.

"He is extremely sorry about not only the trouble he has caused his ex-partner but more importantly his daughter.

"He has no more information than he has given."

A High Court judge ruled in April Anjum was in contempt of a High Court order instructing him to give details of Atiya's whereabouts and imposed a 12-month prison sentence in March.

Judges have previously imposed jail terms of two years and two terms of 12 months in the hope that Anjum would provide information so that Atiya could be reunited with her mother.

In previous court hearings, the court has told Anjum's on-off relationship with Ms Wilkinson ended in 2008. In November 2009, Atiya vanished after going to stay with her father.

Anjum had said he was taking Atiya to Southport. Instead he took her to Lahore, Pakistan, and told Ms Wilkinson that she was "never going to see Atiya again", courts have been told.

He has told lawyers and police that he took Atiya to Pakistan and handed her to a man called "Khan". He said he thought the girl had gone to Iran with the man.

Anjum had given police an address for the man in Iran but checks had shown the address to be "bogus", Mr Justice Roderic Wood heard.

Ms Wilkinson has taken legal action in an attempt to force Anjum to reveal Atiya's whereabouts.

Mr Justice Roderic Wood said in the latest stage of litigation that Anjum would remain in prison.

The judge told him: "Find out where she is, if you don't already know, and make sure she is brought back."