Father takes Jacob and Alexander Rogers back to USA

Mother tried in vain to see her sons at airport

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Alexander and Jacob Rogers, the two boys at the centre of a Finnish-American custody dispute, left Finland for the United States in the custody of their father on Wednesday. The move came after the Finnish Supreme Court ordered that the two, who had been kept in Finland for over a year by their Finnish mother, should be returned to their father John Rogers.
      The three were discreetly let onto a plane at half past nine in the morning. Police say that they travelled to the US via Paris.
     
Also at the airport were about ten representatives of the media, as well as the boys’ mother Outi Koski and a group of her friends.
      Koski, who had been tipped off about the departure time, was at the airport at half past six. She said that she wanted to meet her sons quickly before they leave, to give them Christmas gifts and some personal items.
      The mother became visibly agitated as the time of departure approached. She looked for the faces of the boys among the passengers in the check-in areas, followed by reporters and photographers. Her friends kept watch in different parts of the airport.
      There were also a few police patrols at the airport, and Koski tried to determine the whereabouts of her sons and her former husband on the basis of the movements of the police.
      However, the three were able to board the plane undetected. Rogers’ lawyer later confirmed that they had left the country.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Supreme Court rules for father in final decision in international custody case (21.12.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat