UK dad 'posed as millionaire' to rescue son

A UK father posed as a Ferrari-driving millionaire to find his ex-wife who had fled the country with their three-year-old son.

Sean Felton, 43, had been desperately searching for his son Jobe after his ex-wife Saowapak took him to her native Thailand.

Mr Felton and Saowapak, 30, met in Thailand and married in 2006 before moving to Cannock, England, where they had their child.

But early this year Mr Felton filed for divorce, and in March she fled to Thailand with Jobe.

Mr Felton contacted police and a private investigator, but when they failed to help he took to the internet in a bid to find her.

"I lay in bed one night imagining Jobe alone and scared, living in squalor, and it occurred to me that I might be able to find [Saowapak] on Facebook," he told UK newspaper The Daily Mirror.

He searched through women named Saowapak on the website and eventually found her profile, despite the fact she had changed her surname.

Knowing he would not accept his friend request, he created a new profile with a fake name and an image of a man with a Ferrari.

"I knew she wouldn't accept a friend request from me so I came up with the idea of posing as a millionaire looking for love," he said.

"I set up a fake account with a picture of a man with a Ferrari and sent her a friend request. She fell for it."

With access to her full Facebook profile, Mr Felton was able to find clues about her whereabouts.

He found one photo of her with a French tourist, who he then contacted and explained what had happened.

The Frenchman gave him the name of the village where she was living, which was enough information to get the support of Thai police in taking back his child.

He entered the village with police and found Jobe in a house living with Saowapak.

"He looked scared to death at first but once he realised it was me he fell into my arms and kissed my cheek," Mr Felton said.

"His teeth were chipped and they'd cut his hair ... He looked like an orphan, it was so emotional to hold him in my arms again."

Mr Felton and his son flew back to the UK, while Saowapak told the Mirror she is "sick of fighting" but hoped to one day return to the UK to see her son.