Missing teen sighting ruled out

Amanda McDonnell is "besotted" with her 17-year-old boyfriend

A reported sighting of a runaway British teenager in the north of Scotland has been ruled out by police after studying CCTV footage.

After studying film which allegedly showed the couple at a service station in Moray, officers from Grampian Police said they were not the missing 14-year-old Amanda McDonnell and her boyfriend Steven Laing.

An international search was launched after Amanda ran away from her home in Spain with Steven.

Officers from Grampian Police launched an inquiry into the possible sighting at Brodie service station, five miles from Forres on the A96 on Tuesday.

A woman working there thought the girl bore a resemblance to Amanda.

But after studying CCTV footage and comparing that with photographs of Amanda, officers ruled out the possible sighting.

"Similar description"

Inspector Willie Robertson said: "To be fair, the female in the garage was of a similar description to Miss McDonnell.

"She entered the filling station shop, purchased a soft drink and then she left."

He added: "She was also in a new BMW 3-series car which was different to the car Miss McDonnell was reported to have been in - an Opel Omega estate car."

But Strathclyde Police are continuing to investigate reports that the car the pair ran away in had been spotted close to Glasgow.

The couple left Amanda's home near Alicante, Spain, at 0400 BST on September 12, taking a Belgian-registered grey Opel Omega estate car belonging to her family.

The vehicle is believed to have been seen in the Kirkintilloch area close to Glasgow.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE COUPLE Amanda: 5 ft 7 in tall, slim, blue rose tattoo on abdomen, sharp features, fair complexion and fair hair Steven: 5 ft 7 in tall, uneven complexion, short brown hair, name tattooed down his spine in Chinese or Japanese; Glaswegian accent Anyone seeing them is asked to contact their local police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A Strathclyde Police spokeswoman said a call had been made to the Crimestoppers phoneline reporting that a car matching the description of the Opel had been seen in a lay-by near Kirkintilloch just after midnight on 16 September.

She said a search of the area had found no trace of the vehicle or the couple and that officers in nearby Bishopbriggs were continuing to search for the car.

"Besotted" couple

The couple, said to be "besotted" with each other by relatives, are believed to have false passports which show they are 18, and Amanda's mother and stepfather, Carol and Malcolm Beech, suspect the pair have taken a ferry to Britain.

Steven's mother, Susan Laing, 35, has said she believed the couple were heading to Perth, Scotland, where his family used to live.

Amanda, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent, went to live in Spain a year ago when her family moved from Wolverhampton.

Steven had been living with Amanda's family before the couple fled.

Steven met Amanda in a bar where he was working

The couple met four or five months ago, when Steven worked at a local bar at Alfaz del Pi, between Altea and Benidorm, Spain.

Mrs Beech, 43, said the teenagers also took money and credit cards when they left.

Sharp features

Amanda is described as having sharp features, a tanned complexion and fair hair.

She is 5ft 7ins tall and slim with a blue rose tattoo on her abdomen.

She speaks with an English accent but can mimic a Scottish accent.

Amanda suffers from asthma and is receiving medical treatment for anorexia.

She has left without taking an inhaler, despite the fact that she once stopped breathing during an asthma attack.

Steven speaks with a Glasgow accent, has an uneven complexion and short brown hair.

He is 5ft 7ins tall and has his name tattooed down his spine in Chinese or Japanese.

The pair are not believed to be carrying mobile phones, according to police.