A HEARTBROKEN father is determined to see his six-year-old daughter again after she was allegedly 'abducted' by the child's mother and taken to Australia.

Simon Morris of Worcester last saw his daughter, Niamh Morris, during a family outing on January 24. He claims she has been taken to Australia without his knowledge or consent by former partner Susan Karan and her new husband, Alex Karan.

Niamh's father and his parents now live in limbo, unsure of when they will see her again.

The Christmas tree stands bare in their living room as they contemplate the anguish of spending the festive period without Niamh whom they have not seen now for nearly a year.

They must content themselves watching home videos or looking at photographs of Niamh with them in happier times.

Mr Morris has yet to receive a telephone call, email, Skype call or any form of contact whatsoever from Niamh's mother to let him know about her welfare.

Her paternal family have had no contact in nearly a year (since the outing on January 24), leaving them feeling 'cut off' from her.

Mr Morris does not even have an address so he can write to her and he says his emails keep bouncing back.

Treasured keepsakes have to be placed in a memory box in the hope that she can one day receive them.

Mr Morris believes Niamh may be in Forrestfield, near Perth in Western Australia where his ex-partner's parents live (Mrs Karan has dual British and Australian citizenship).

The child's mother had expressed a wish to emigrate to Australia in February 2014 and but did not let him know about any concrete plans.

Mr Morris said: “I hope she isn’t falling asleep at night time, crying her eyes out, wondering where her daddy is.

"It feels as if I have had the opportunity to see my daughter grow up and be part of her life taken away.

“This is about the welfare of a little girl who did not deserve any of this.

"She does not deserve to be taken across to the other side of the world and torn away from her family here and her father whom she loves who loves her."

The 43-year-old last saw his daughter on a family visit to Croome at High Green, near Worcester, on January 24 with his own parents (Niamh's grandparents, Carol and Steve Morris) who have suffered stress and ill-health as a result of the loss of their grandchild.

Carol, 71, says she feels grief-stricken and 'bereaved' as a result of the loss of Niamh.

She said: "I don't know if I will ever see her again."

Husband Steve, 71, had a heart bypass in 2005 and said the loss of his granddaughter was 'doing him no good'.

He said: "My son has no contact with her. He is asking such a simple, basic right.

"We have watched Simon deteriorate. He is not able to live his life properly."

Two days after the visit to Croome, on January 26, 2015 an administrator from Niamh’s school, Claines Primary, telephoned her mother when Niamh did not attend school.

There was no answer and a message was left on the answering machine.

The school administrator then tried to call Susan Karan's mobile and her husband's mobile but there was no answer and messages were left.

It is alleged that the school was told on Thursday, January 29, 2015 by Mr Karan that Niamh had chickenpox.

Mr Morris says this is untrue and rang her doctor to confirm there had been no such diagnosis.

At about this time Mr Morris received a call from a resident in Pitchcroft Lane, Barbourne, Worcester alerting him to activity at his ex-partner's home.

Bin bags and big cases were seen being taken in and out of the home of Susan Karan and her husband Alex which they shared with Niamh.

Mr Morris later arrived at their rented terraced home to find it deserted.

Mr Morris says West Mercia Police later told him that his daughter was in Australia following an investigation.

Mr Morris said there had also been an allegation made against him by his ex-partner in March 2014, later dropped by police, which nearly destroyed his life and led to a suicide attempt.

He moved to Devon for a time as he tried to deal with the aftermath of the allegation.

He believes the couple has departed the country because they are ‘running out of options' and argues they have failed to engage with mediation options.

Mr Morris said Mr and Mrs Karan did not turn up to a planned meeting on February 3, 2015 at Ye Olde Talbot Hotel in Worcester which involved Niamh's school and social workers (at the time they would already have been in Australia).

Mr Morris has made an application under the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction which provides a civil law mechanism to seek the return of children wrongfully removed or retained away from their native country.

Susan Karan has until February 15 to respond to this as action is taken under the Family Law Act 1975 (Child Abduction Convention) Regulations in the Family Court of Western Australia at Perth.

It aims to make sure Mr Morris has contact via Skype to allow 'oral and visual communication'.

Mike Penning MP, Minister of State for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and victims wrote to Mr Morris in August stating that the cause of the delay in this case was that Australia requires two sworn affidavits from the applicant before such an application can be considered.

He said: "The progress of the application once it reaches the Australian central authority is a matter for Australia."

Before she was allegedly taken to Australia, an independent report by social workers refers to Niamh missing her 'penny farthing daddy', a reference to Mr Morris's business, "Mr Phoebus, the original Penny Farthing Experience".

She also said she would like to be able to see Mr Morris 'at night times and weekends'.

The family has hit out at the Crown Prosecution Service for 'dragging their heels' over the case although Mr Morris has been very complimentary about the handling of the case by West Mercia Police who have done 'as much as they can'.

A police spokesperson said: "We can confirm the case was investigated and the file has been passed to the CPS for their consideration."