Father, baby emerge from hiding

Stephen Jelicich arrives at his parents' house. Picture / Martin Sykes

Stephen Jelicich stopped running yesterday evening, returning home to his parents' West Auckland property with baby Caitlin to rest and prepare his case that New Zealand courts should decide her custody.

Mr Jelicich, 39, is appealing against a Family Court decision that Caitlin should be returned to Wales, where she was born, for custody to be decided there.

A judge yesterday ordered a stay, or suspension, on a Family Court warrant, which required Mr Jelicich to hand Caitlin over to her mother on January 9.

Mr Jelicich will appear in the High Court at Auckland today to seek a priority date for his appeal. He will also learn whether the stay on the warrant will continue.

His lawyer, Rod Hooker, said Caitlin would stay with her father until today's hearing.

"Caitlin is with her father and he has given an undertaking to the High Court as to where he resides."

Police were no longer involved.

The stay on the warrant was issued at 5pm yesterday. Less than an hour later Mr Jelicich turned into the driveway of his parents' Kumeu home driving a 4WD with Caitlin in the back seat, covered by a blanket.

A short time later his father, Paul Jelicich, said his son and granddaughter were "good as gold". They would stay with the family overnight but Mr Jelicich snr said he could not comment further.

Stephen Jelicich had been on the run since failing to return Caitlin to her mother on January 9.

Diane Jelicich was due to take the 5-month-old to Wales after a Family Court judge ruled that custody should be decided in Britain, where Caitlin was born and lived. The judge also issued a warrant allowing police to enforce the ruling.

When Mr Jelicich failed to turn up, police said they would enforce the ruling and appealed for him to come forward. Mrs Jelicich left on her scheduled flight but is believed to be on her way back to New Zealand.

During interviews with the Herald, Mr Jelicich said he wanted a "fair access agreement" and custody to be decided in New Zealand.

Mr and Mrs Jelicich have spent the past few days engaged in a public war of words about the dispute. Their battle will now return to the courts.

Last night, Mrs Jelicich said she was "absolutely devastated" to learn about the High Court hearing.

She was at a Welsh television studio when she heard the news, a TV3 Nightline report said.

"I was absolutely devastated 'cause I'd planned to go out to New Zealand very shortly, expecting to fetch Caitlin home," she said.

She had delayed her trip by a day to try to get a court order to take Caitlin back to Wales.