Shevaun reunited with parents

Reunited, Shevaun and her mother drive home from the police station

Missing schoolgirl Shevaun Pennington has been reunited with her parents after flying back to the UK from Germany.

The 31-year-old ex-marine she ran away with, Toby Studabaker, is being held in custody in Frankfurt on suspicion of abduction.

The pair were found four days after police launched an international search following Shevaun's disappearance from her home near Wigan.

Officers said she had not been harmed in any way - as far as they were aware - although investigations would continue.

Shevaun was reunited with her parents at Leigh police station in Lancashire on Wednesday afternoon.

Mother Joanna Pennington sobbed as she spoke of the moment she realised her child was safe and well.

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She said the phone call from Germany from her daughter was the best she had ever had.

"It was fantastic. I was hoping and praying that it was the phone call we wanted to hear. She knew she was wanted here.

"It was a good phone call, the best one I've had ever."

She said her first words on being reunited with her daughter were "how are you?" and "give us a hug".

Stephen Pennington, Shevaun's father, said the girl had seemed well.

Shevaun was not with Mr Studabaker when she was found, although police said she had been in Frankfurt at some point.

The 12-year-old later flew from Stuttgart to Amsterdam and then home to Manchester, arriving at about 1430BST on Wednesday.

Second phone call

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said officers had known beforehand that Shevaun would be returning to the UK.

They said she had made a second phone call to her parents on Wednesday morning, during which she "again confirmed that she was well, that she was not under any duress, not being kept against her will and would be coming back".

COUPLE'S KNOWN MOVEMENTS 1. Friday 11 July Studabaker flies from Detroit to Amsterdam 2. Saturday 12 July Leaves for Manchester 3. The pair meet and set off for Heathrow 4. Saturday evening they arrive in Paris 5. Wednesday 16 July Studabaker arrested in Frankfurt 6. Shevaun returns to UK from Germany via Holland Timeline: Missing schoolgirl

Mr Studabaker was apprehended on Wednesday afternoon, four days after he disappeared with the schoolgirl.

Greater Manchester Police said he had been arrested with the support of the German authorities and the FBI.

They hope to extradite him to the UK to face charges.

He is expected to appear before a Frankfurt judge on Thursday, German police said.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigations in Wiesbaden said Mr Studabaker had been arrested in Frankfurt-am-Main around midday.

He was spotted walking alone along a street after German police were told he was wanted in the UK.

The spokeswoman was unable to say how he had been identified, or whether he had put up any resistance to his arrest.

He will remain in custody while German police decide if he has committed any crime there.

Mr Studabaker's sister-in-law, Sherry, said news of the arrest had been a "relief".

She said: "This has been a very difficult few days for the family. We are glad it now seems to be drawing to a close."

She said the family had not heard from the ex-marine since he called them on Tuesday and had no idea that he was in Germany.

His brother Leo said he was "very relieved" by Shevaun's return and that he hoped "we can get everything resolved now".

CCTV footage

Shevaun met Mr Studabaker in an internet chatroom, without her parents knowing.

It's just the outcome everybody wanted and prayed for Sue Crosdale, Shevaun's headteacher Relief at Shevaun's return

Mr Studabaker spent three years in the US Marines, before leaving in June this year.

The pair had been e-mailing for up to a year, and then exchanging letters and possibly phone calls, before meeting face-to-face for the first time on Saturday, police believe.

British, French and US police had focused their search for Shevaun and Mr Studabaker on France.

Flight records showed they had flown from Manchester via Heathrow to Paris on Saturday - but their precise movements after that are still unclear.

Two Greater Manchester Police officers flew to France to study CCTV footage taken at Charles de Gaulle airport.

Earlier on Wednesday, Shevaun's mother said she was desperate to have her daughter back home - with Mr Studabaker if necessary.