04 January 2023 , 13:32
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Police have issued an appeal for a schoolgirl 10 months after she vanished.
Saidatu Jalloh who was 14 years old at the time and is now 15, was reported missing to Met Police by staff at her school in Lambeth on March 9, 2022.
The Met’s first appeal for the teenager was on December 8, 2022, 10 months later in a social media post on Twitter as they said she could be "anywhere in the UK."
There have been no other appeals for her since.
Police say Saidatu had come to the UK had not been long registered at the school but was not seen in classes the week prior before teachers notified police.
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A spokesperson for her school says that they were told of a "possible change" in the Saidatu's circumstances before notifying police.
The spokesperson said: "We are unable to provide details about individuals.
"We can confirm, however, that the appropriate authorities were notified less than 48 hours after the school was told of a possible change in this child’s circumstances."
Police say that the circumstance which the teenager entered the country and her subsequent disappearance were a concern.
In a social media post on Twitter on December 8, 2022, Lambeth Police wrote:
“#Missing Saidatu, 15, is missing from Lambeth, but may be anywhere in the UK.
If you have any information on where she may be, please call 101 and quote the reference 22MIS008040 or alternatively if you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Saidatu had only recently arrived in the UK but police say that no records of anyone of the same name entering the country have been found.
They also believe she could also be going by other names.
In a statement a spokesperson for the Met Police said: "On 9 March 2022, Saidatu Jalloh was reported as a missing person by staff at her school in Lambeth having not been seen since the previous week.
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"Saidatu, who was aged 14 at the time but would now be 15, had been registered at the school for only a short time and little was known about her.
"Enquiries at the address provided on her school registration have not led to her being found.
"It is understood Saidatu had only recently arrived in the UK although no records of anyone of the same name entering the country have been found, suggesting that she may also go by other names.
"While there is no indication that she has come to harm, the circumstances of her arrival in the UK and her subsequent disappearance are a concern.
"Officers are keen to trace her to confirm she is safe and well and that she is in the care of appropriate adults."
Founder of Missingblackpeople.com Dominic Norton expressed his concern for a minor being missing for such a long period of time.
He said: "10 months is extremely out of the norm for anybody doing missing. Especially someone under the age of 18."
When asked by the Mirror why it had taken almost a year to launch an appeal, a spokesperson for the Met said:
"Where there are other potential lines of enquiry, it may be the case that officers work to exhaust those before sharing an image or further information about a missing person as part of a public appeal."
Police are now appealing for anyone with information or anyone who recognises the photo that has been shared on social media to come forward.
UPDATE: In a statement late on Thursday police said she had been located safe and well.