Officers praised for saving child

Sweeney was jailed for life for taking the girl from her home

The mother of a three-year-old girl from Cardiff abducted by a paedophile has thanked two Wiltshire police officers who rescued her.

The officers, who have been awarded for their efforts, spotted Craig Sweeney driving without lights in Wiltshire.

The girl was found after a 14-mile chase ended when Sweeney crashed between Hungerford and Marlborough.

The girl's mother said the family wanted to thank the officers from "the bottom of our hearts".

"If it wasn't for them our daughter wouldn't be with us today," she told BBC Radio Wiltshire.

High-speed chase

Sweeney was jailed for life for taking the girl from her Cardiff home in January 2006.

He drove her to his flat in Newport and sexually assaulted her before driving down the M4 and assaulting her again in a lay-by near Swindon.

Pc Marcus Beresford-Smith and Sergeant Richard Moorhouse spotted Sweeney's car which he was driving without lights in the early hours of Tuesday 3 January and began to pursue it.

During the high-speed chase that ensued, Sweeney swerved violently and lost control of the car, rolling it down an embankment.

As you can imagine she went through a horrific ordeal, but with all the love and attention she has, she'll get there Victim's mother

Sweeney had hurled the toddler out of the car during the police chase, and they found her cold and shivering with a deep cut to her head.

The officers said initially they thought they were dealing with a drink drive or stolen-vehicle incident, but soon realised something "didn't add up".

They said they were "very proud" to receive the thanks of the little girl's mother.

Almost a year-and-a-half later, her mother said her young daughter was slowly recovering from the ordeal.

She said: "It's a slow progress. As you can imagine she went through a horrific ordeal, but with all the love and attention she has, she'll get there, definitely.

"It's just in your mind constantly, 24 hours a day, but as a family we will stay strong.

"It's a long old road, but we will get there. She's our priority and 17 months on there's a big improvement in her, definitely."

She said the disappearance of four-year-old girl Madeleine McCann who was snatched in Portugal 20 days ago had brought back memories.

"It's like it's happening to us again. I've been really bad over this situation, and my hopes and prayers go out to the family," she added.