A former journalist from Betteshanger who has been campaigning to find a five-year-old Syrian refugee found his ex-wife instead.

Neil Clements, of Northbourne Road, was touched by a BBC Panorama documentary which aired on September 30, and featured Azam Aldaham.

The young boy had severe facial injuries after it is believed a car ran him over in Macedonia, as he slept on the ground.

Instead of staying in hospital to be treated, he was moved on by family or friends in their journey to make it to Europe.

In the documentary, Azam calls for his mum but a man who claims to be his father says his mum was left behind.

Mr Clements said it is not known if the man was really his father or if the young boy was ever given medical treatment. Now campaigners across the world have taken up the hashtag FindAzam.

Mr Clements, 60, a retired KM journalist, contacted the charity Refucomm through Facebook in a bid to get more information.

Two days of messages went by until Mr Clements spotted a picture of his ex-wife working in Serbia and realised he had been messaging his former partner.

He said: “I think she was a bit shocked I was involved. Knowing the type of person she is, I wasn’t surprised to find her there.

“I spoke to my son about it and he said, ‘What, didn’t you know?’”

His son, Robert, 32, hadn’t told his dad that ex-wife Sharon Silvey, an aid worker from Folkestone who now lives in Germany, was helping with the humanitarian crisis.

Mr Clements met Sharon when he was a feature writer on the KM’s Evening Post in the late 1970s and was married to her for five years before they went their separate ways.

Mr Clements, who is now retired, could not help but think of his grandson, Isaac, when he saw young Azam and wanted to help him.

He said: “It’s certainly touched the hearts of thousands of people. There are many children with injuries. There is such a huge rush to get on the train, so many little children get trampled.

“As well as to find Azam, we’re also campaigning for all children on the refugee route, especially as winter is coming.”

Using social media he aims to raise awareness of this issue.

He said others can help by donating to charities which are giving essential provisions to those fleeing war-torn Syria.