Streatham girl missing in Malaysia will struggle to look after herself

The family of a teenager with learning difficulties who is believed to have been kidnapped in Malaysia say she will not be able to do some everyday tasks, wherever she is.

Nóra Quoirin, 15, from Streatham, who goes to St Bede’s Church in Clapham Park, went missing at the weekend.

She has special needs and vanished from the Dusan resort on Sunday.

Police in Malaysia are now using specialist teams, with 250 officers, to try and find her.

The family, including Nóra’s Irish-French parents, and her younger brother and sister, arrived at the resort near Seremban, about 40 miles south of Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday.

Her father raised the alarm the following morning when Nora was missing from her bedroom, with the window open.

Police chief Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said it was believed Nora had climbed out of the window.

But her parents say she will need a lot of care, whoever she is with. She can wash and dress herself, but she cannot manage buttons, and struggles to wash her hair.

Nóra was born with holoprosencephaly – she has a smaller brain. She needed operations to help her breathing in her early life. The teenager has always needed dedicated specialist schooling.

A statement from her family said: “Nóra is a very special person. She is fun, funny, and extremely loving. With her family, she is very affectionate – family is her whole world and she loves to play games, like Cat Bingo, with us. She likes to tell us silly jokes and wear clever, colourful t-shirts. She is not like other teenagers. She is not independent and does not go anywhere alone.

“Nóra and her family are bi-lingual and bi-cultural. Nóra is very proud that she can speak French as well as English. But her verbal communication is limited. Nóra can read like a young child, but she cannot write more than a few words. She has a good memory but she cannot understand anything conceptual.

“She is unable to do maths and so things like money are impossible to manage. She cannot make or receive phonecalls independently.

“At school, she is learning to ride a bicycle properly. Nóra likes to walk with her family, but her balance is limited and she struggles with coordination. She has been to Asia, and many European countries before, and has never wandered off or got lost.

“Nóra is very sensitive. Outside the family, Nóra is very shy and can be quite anxious. Every night, her special time is for cuddles and a night-time story with her Mum. And she was extremely excited about the family holiday in Malaysia.”