Fight for 'Esti abduction' father

Simon Clayton has spent more than 40 nights in jail

A group fighting for fathers' rights is campaigning to speed up the extradition from Portuguese jail of a mid-Wales man accused of abducting his daughter.

Hay-on-Wye bookseller Simon Clayton took his four-year-old daughter, Esti, abroad days before a custody battle with his former wife was due to be heard.

The disappearance on 9 April sparked a police search across Europe before the pair were found in Portugal on 21 May.

Mr Clayton was arrested and extradition proceedings started, but he is still in a Portuguese jail, more than 40 days after he was detained.

We will mobilise our Welsh members and organise a protest at Brecon police station which could take place this weekend

Matt O'Connor, Fathers 4 Justice

And Fathers 4 Justice, a group set up to fight for children's rights to see both parents have launched a campaign to pressure the authorities to speed up extradition proceedings.

The groups are planning a protest at Brecon police station to highlight Mr Clayton's plight.

Evora prison

Fathers 4 Justice chairman, Matt O'Connor said he was concerned the Portuguese legal system shuts for the summer on 15 July.

"There is a strong possibility Simon could be there until September, he said.

Mr Clayton is currently being held at Evora prison, 30 miles from Portugal's capital city, Lisbon.

"Mr Clayton's family contacted us because they are worried about Simon and are not happy that they have been told nothing by Brecon police," added Mr O'Connor, whose group has about 3,000 members in the UK

Esti is now living with her mother in Brecon

"We will mobilise our Welsh members and organise a protest at Brecon police station which could take place this weekend."

The investigation into Esti Clayton's disappearance was led by DI Steve Hughson of Brecon police.

"All the extradition procedures are in place and have been for some time," said DI Hughson.

"We are now waiting for the Portuguese legal system to process the application.

"We've been working with the Crown Prosecution Service and Interpol so everything we can do has been done."

When asked about Mr O'Connor's claim that Mr Clayton's family had not been informed about the situation, DI Hughson said he had spoken to Mr Clayton's father during the last two weeks.

"The family have their own legal team which should also be in contact with the Portuguese authorities," he added.

After Mr Clayton's arrest, Esti was reunited with her mother Aneta, before returning to their Brecon home.