THE father of teenager Sophie Nynan has spoken of the moment he heard his daughter had been found safe and well.
The 15-year-old had been missing for two and half weeks after storming out of her Westcott home on Saturday, March 30, but was located by Surrey Police officers in Croydon last Wednesday afternoon (April 17).
The Ashcombe School pupil returned to classes on Monday this week and her father Gassen told the Advertiser she was "very happy" to be back with friends and family.
"The police phoned me at around half eleven that morning and told me they believed she was in Croydon and asked me to go out and help look for her," he said.
"I went but we didn't find anything. I was driving home that afternoon when I got the call from the police to say they'd found her. I was absolutely over the moon."
Mr Nynan added that his daughter was now keen to put the incident behind her.
"She is safe and well now, and she's happy to be back with us," he said.
"She's begging for our forgiveness but she's not to worry about that. Everyone does silly things when they're 15.
"She is our daughter and she's home, that is the main thing."
Until she was found, Sophie had not been in contact with friends and family since updating her Facebook account on April 3.
Mr Nynan said he had been in constant contact with her friends while she was missing, in case they heard anything from her.
"As soon as she was found they were all asking me when she was coming back to school," he said.
"We have been celebrating as a family now she's back. It's great for her to be with her sisters again.
"It's such a big relief for all our family and friends."
He added he was very grateful for all the support the Nynan family received from the community during such a worrying time.
"We would like to thank everyone for supporting us – the media, the police – everyone has done a great job to help us find her," he said.
