A father who kidnapped his daughter and went on the run for more than four years has been jailed.

Mexican-born Edgardo Alvarez, who is 66 today, abducted Jasmine Esmeralda Alvarez and fled to America, leaving her distressed mother in the dark and sparking an international manhunt.

Marcela Alvarez did not see or speak to her daughter again until December last year. The 43-year-old spent the intervening years desperately searching for the girl, now 11, and became so sick with worry she needs medication for depression after becoming suicidal.

Her estranged husband was jailed for 12 months at Lewes Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to abduction.

The court heard Mr and Mrs Alvarez were married in Mexico in 1989 and split nine years later. Alvarez, a former lecturer at Crawley College, snatched Esmeralda after losing a bitter and prolonged custody battle.

Prosecution barrister Alexander Williams said Mrs Alvarez last saw her daughter at Victoria station in London on July 10, 1999. Her husband was having his penultimate access visit before she and Esmeralda moved back to Mexico.

Alvarez fled with Esmeralda to Europe. From there he took her to Turkey, where he bought false identification papers to fool the American authorities.

The court heard Alvarez lived in Miami for six months before losing his job and moving to the small Utah city of Ogden, 40 miles north of Salt Lake City.

Mr Williams said Mrs Alvarez, who did not attend court yesterday, "was extremely concerned about her daughter's well-being and without her own family's unstinting support she doubts she would have been able to cope".

Mrs Alvarez's sister Laura gave up her job in Mexico and travelled to England to help with the search. The two women sent leaflets to every primary school in London, the London Underground and police forces across the country.

A nationwide poster campaign was launched and Mrs Alvarez made tearful appearances on news bulletins. She and her sister hired private detectives and travelled round Europe following numerous leads.

But Alvarez evaded detection until December last year when he was arrested for speeding. American detectives became suspicious he was using false papers and he confessed all.

Officers from Sussex Police were contacted and Alvarez was deported back to England on January 13.

Defence barrister Ben Smitten said Alvarez was driven to kidnap his daughter because he feared he would never see her again if she moved to Mexico.

A man of previously impeccable character, Alvarez had already been punished severely by losing his job, his home and his daughter.

Mr Smitten said: "It can be said with some certainty this was well and truly a one-off and he is tremendously remorseful and regrets his actions."

Judge Charles Kemp accepted Alvarez cared for Esmeralda as a "loving father" during their time in America.

But he added: "You decided to take the law into your own hands and the result of that has been appalling heartbreak and unhappiness for many people."

Alvarez has been in custody since December and will probably be released after serving half his sentence, meaning he will spend only another six weeks in jail.

Detective Sergeant Stuart McColl said afterwards: "I think it is a fair sentence. By the very nature of the case Alvarez has already been punished twice, first with the jail sentence and second with the knowledge he will probably not see his daughter again until she is old enough to decide herself."