An eight-year-old schoolgirl was detained at Gatwick Airport for 12 hours as her Sheppey dad desperately pleaded with immigration officials to let her into the country.

Rawl Simon, known as Courtney, 38, was trying to bring his daughter Sierra into Britain from Antigua in the West Indies to spend summer with him and his new wife Krystal, 31, when officials stepped in.

Stepmum Krystal, of Bellevue Road, Minster, said: “We were desperately worried about Sierra.

“She had spent eight hours alone on a plane with no one but a Virgin Nanny to look after her.

“And then she was interviewed for a further 12 hours while we were kept waiting in arrivals and unable to speak to her.

"Sierra has since been allowed into the country and is now living with her dad on Sheppey.

“But officials say she must go back to Antigua on July 15.

“Her dad wants to keep her in Britain for the whole 11-weeks of her school summer holiday."

Krystal, a travel agent who met Mr Simon three-and-a-half years ago while taking a career break in Antigua, said: “Sierra hadn’t seen her daddy for six months. It seems very wrong that immigration officials are not allowing her to spend the summer with us.”

MP Gordon Henderson has taken up the case. He said: “I believe Sierra should be allowed to stay with her father for the summer so I contacted the Immigration Minister James Brokenshire on Monday night about this. He has promised to look into it as a matter of urgency.”

"We were desperately worried about Sierra. She had spent eight hours alone on a plane with no one but a Virgin Nanny to look after her" - Stepmum Krystal

The couple have made an official application for Sierra to live in Britain permanently but have been turned down twice. They are appealing against the last refusal.

Krystal said: “We are doing this officially and above board and have hired an immigration lawyer to help us. We knew there might be difficulties when Sierra landed but we were there to explain our plans.

"However, we weren’t allowed any face-to-face contact. All the discussions were handled over the phone.”

Sierra, who goes to school in Antigua and lives with her 55-year-old grandmother, was eventually allowed to stay in the UK for two weeks but that included a family holiday in Cyprus.

When the family returned to Britain, Sierra was given a further two weeks to remain here but must be deported to Antigua on Friday next week.

However, her grandmother is planning to have an eye operation on cataracts.

Krystal, who married Courtney in Kent last August, said: “We just hope the right people can look at our case and see the poor and unjustified decisions which are being made for us.

“This whole experience has been horrific. This recent event is just adding to the nightmare we are living in. The process is inhuman.”

“We are naturally concerned for Sierra’s wellbeing being sent back to Antigua when her grandmother will be out of action having an eye operation. As her parents, we can offer her the care, love and time here for her summer holidays.”

Courtney is working as a warehouseman at Faversham company Gist.

He also has a 17-year-old son who wants to stay in Antigua. Sierra’s natural mother Elizabeth Gilbert has confirmed to immigration officials that Sierra does not live with her.