A MOTHER ordered by a Granada court to give custody of her children to her violent ex-husband has disappeared and taken the kids with her.
Juana Rivas 'had to flee the Italian island of Carloforte, where she lived with her former husband and the father of her two children' because she was 'subjected to an unsustainable situation of physical and psychological abuse', according to her lawyer.
The couple's children, now aged three and 11, 'witnessed the entire ordeal'.
Juana returned to the Granada province town of Maracena after escaping her husband Francesco Arcuri, where she and her children have been trying to recover from their years of violence.
But Arcuri filed for custody of his children, and Juana's appeal against their having to live with their father failed.
The court ordered her to hand them over in agreed location – the social services' Family Meeting Point - on Wednesday this week at 16.30.
Arcuri flew over from Italy to meet them, but Juana and the children were not there.
He only waited 20 minutes – until 16.50 – as he had not been able to make contact with her to find out if they were on their way or delayed.
Then he left, and has announced he will start proceedings against her for abduction.
Juana's solicitor María Castillo confirmed publicly that her client had vanished, that she did not know where she was and was 'unaware of what she planned to do with the children'.
A huge demonstration had gathered at 16.00 in the Plaza de Misa in Maracena supporting Juana and carrying banners, and María Castillo was with them at the time of the planned meeting.
She has argued with judges that the law in Spain prevents domestic abusers from having custody of their children, since the youngsters themselves are automatically considered to be victims of the same violence, even if they have not experienced it directly.
But this is not the case under Italian law.
Arcuri had been found guilty of assault against his wife when she was still living on Carloforte island.
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