A pile of presents waits to be unwrapped as a mother faces the haunting prospect of Christmas without her missing daughter.

Anne-Marie Kingshott, 24, has refused to give up hope since her four-year-old daughter Danielle vanished in January.

But Christmas will be hard this year as she wonders where she is and how she is coping without her.

Anne-Marie said: "We are going to try and keep Christmas as normal as possible for my niece and nephew.

"There's going to be about 11 of us here. If it wasn't for the children I think it would be very low-key but we have to make an effort for them. It wouldn't be fair otherwise."

Danielle, who turned four in June, disappeared with her father, John Dempster, his parents and brother from the family home in Greenleaf Gardens, Polegate.

After an elaborate plan to draw Anne-Marie, of Cavalry Crescent, Eastbourne, to Croydon, she returned home to find the house she then shared with her child, partner and his family, completely empty.

Furniture, clothes, toys and photographs had all disappeared as had the family's mobile home.

To this day Anne-Marie and her parents have had no contact with Danielle and have already missed her birthday and the day she should have started at Pashley Down Infants School, Eastbourne.

She said: "If there are no other kids with her she will just be talking to adults, which really isn't fair on her. When she comes back I'm going to put her into school in September. She'll have no trouble mingling with the other children."

Presents from a missed birthday and Easter eggs still remain wrapped up and Anne-Marie promises her daughter a party she will never forget on her return.

She said: "All her presents are upstairs and we have got about £150 to spend on her from her birthday and Christmas when she comes home. I'll take her out on a shopping spree. She'll think it's Christmas all over again."

Danielle has been made the subject of a search-and-collect court order which means legally she should be returned to this country and to Anne-Marie.

The Kingshotts have hired a private detective to try and trace Danielle, who they believe was taken to Alicante, Spain, slipping through an all-ports security cordon.

Anne-Marie, who moved back to her parents' house after Danielle vanished, has been granted legal aid to cover the cost of the detective.

She has been signed off sick from work with stress but is determined to find her feet again.

She said: "Sometimes I wake up and I think I'll just get out there and find something and then other times I just go into a real downer."

The worry and upset over her missing daughter is compounded with the recent diagnosis of a cancerous tumour found in her father's bladder.

Anne-Marie said the stress of the current year had not helped his recovery.

She said: "I just want her home. It would be an ideal Christmas present if they found her tomorrow. All I want for Christmas is just to get her back."

Anyone with any information about Danielle should contact police on 0845 6070999.