Fears for boy who got lost in Christmas crowds at Selfridges
A schoolby has been missing for four days after he vanished while Christmas shopping with his aunt.
Police say they are growing increasingly concerned for the safety of Nordine Bansar.
The 13-year-old disappeared in Oxford Street at 1.30pm on Saturday. He had neither a mobile phone nor any money.
His aunt lost sight of the shy youngster among crowds of shoppers outside Selfridges.
Three hours later a boy answering Nordine's description was spotted in nearby Edgware Road, but there have been no sightings since then.
Nordine moved to London from Spain four months ago following the death of his mother and speaks little English.
Oxford Street is the centre of the busiest retail district in the country and the area was packed with Christmas shoppers on Saturday.
A million people visited the street on a single day earlier this month when cars were banned.
Nordine, who was born in Morocco and raised in Spain, has not made contact with his aunt and does not know his way around central London.
Detectives say they have no reason to believe that he would want to vanish.
"It's not a question of him running away - he's only just come to the country and doesn't speak much English," said a police spokesman.
"He came to live here after the death of his mother.
"He doesn't have a phone or any money. We are very concerned about him for these reasons. The family don't live in that area, they live in Southwark. I think they were just shopping.
"We're extremely concerned about him and think that he's got lost. He has not gone missing before. We are desperately trying to find him.
"He speaks Spanish and Arabic and only a small amount of English."
In 1993, James Bulger was kidnapped when on a shopping trip with his mother in Bootle, Merseyside.
The two-year-old was snatched and killed by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both ten.
Nordine is described as Middle Eastern in appearance, around 5ft tall and of thin build.
He has cropped black hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a black woolly hat, black jumper, black tracksuit bottoms and black trainers.
Anyone with information should call Southwark police station on 020 7232 6246 or contact the National Missing Persons Helpline on 0500 700 700.
