Daily Mail, Thursday, August 8, 2019 Page 13discovered that a downstairs win-
dow close to the lower-floor mas-
ter bedroom was wide open, with
Nora’s bed empty.
Police have refused to disclose
whether it was possible to open
the window from outside the prop-
erty. Those running the 12-acre
resort previously said this could
have been the case.
Forensic checks have been car-
ried out on the apartment and
police have been investigating fin-gerprints found on the window,
although there is no indication
they are suspicious.
The ‘extremely vulnerable’
schoolgirl’s grandfather Sylvain
Quoirin said it was ‘unthinkable’
she would have left on her own.
He said: ‘She’s a young girl who
is very shy, very reserved, very
fearful. It is completely unthinka-
ble that she should have gone out
on her own at night, you can com-pletely exclude that possibility.’
Mr Quoirin, a mayor in Venizy,
south east of Paris, added: ‘After
an 18-hour flight and a seven-hour
time difference you’d sleep soundly
and not go for a stroll at night.’
Divers yesterday searched a river
close to the Dusun resort, which
borders thick jungle 40 miles
south of the capital Kuala Lumpur.
A helicopter, two drones, sniffer
dogs and 214 people from variousgovernment agencies were also
deployed in the search, alongside
members of a local tribe.
The investigation has been ham-
pered by a lack of CCTV at the
resort, which did not have guards.
Nora’s Irish mother Meabh and
father are among 20 people who
gave witness statements.
The couple have grown ‘increas-
ingly frustrated’ with the investi-
gation, believing police may have
missed opportunities by failing to
seriously consider the possibility
of abduction. They say it would be
highly out of character for her to
leave the property on her own.
Che Zakaria Othman, the deputy
state police chief, yesterday reiter-
ated that investigators had found
no evidence pointing towards acriminal act. But he added: ‘Even
though we are investigating the
case as a missing person, we are
not ruling out any other criminal
possibility at this point.’
Mr and Mrs Quoirin, a data anal-
ysis firm salesman and market
research company director, have
been joined in Malaysia by rela-
tives to help in the search.
The couple, who met in Northern
Ireland and have lived in London
for 20 years, were too upset to take
part in a TV appeal last night but
relatives said it had been ‘extremely
traumatic for the whole family’.
They added: ‘We must remain
hopeful. Nora is still missing, and
she is very vulnerable, and we
need to do everything we can to
bring her home.’NORA’S BEDROOM
LIVING ROOM
‘Extremely vulnerable’: Nora with her mother MeabhMystery: Teenager was sleeping next to her younger siblingsClose quarters: The spiral staircase goes up to Nora’s bedroomPOLICE investigating the disap-
pearance of a schoolgirl on holi-
day in the Malaysian jungle have
made a major U-turn, now say-
ing they have not ruled out crim-
inal involvement.
The family of Nora Quoirin believe
the 15-year-old has been abducted
and have accused local police of miss-
ing vital clues by ignoring their fears.
Following the accusations, investiga-
tors who had previously insisted the
case was simply a missing person
inquiry yesterday said they had ‘not
ruled out’ foul play.
The about-turn came after extensive
searches around the remote eco resort
where Nora had been staying with her
parents and two siblings enter their fifth
day without having turned up any clues.
Yesterday it emerged that the school-
girl, who has learning difficulties, had
been sleeping in an upstairs bedroom at
the lodge next to her sister Innes, 12,
and brother Maurice, eight.
The family are understood to have gone
to bed after arriving at the resort from
their home in Streatham, south London,
for a two-week trip on Saturday.
The alarm was raised on Sunday morn-
ing when Nora’s French father SebastienFears: Meabh and Sebastien QuoirinFrom Mario Ledwith
in MalaysiaU-turn on abduction theory as jungle search enters fifth day
Missing Nora could have
been taken, police admit
PERIODS can arrive at the worst times- at the start of a holiday, for example,
or right before an important exam.
Now help is at hand in the form of a pill
which allows women to delay mother nature,
and is now available to buy over-the-counter
on the high street for the first time.
Norethisterone, previously only available
through a GP’s prescription, can now be
bought at Superdrug branches following a
consultation with an in-store pharmacist.
The medication, which costs £29 for a 10-
day supply, is being advertised as a treat-
ment of convenience.
Superdrug said it was responding to
demand from women who ‘want more choice
when it comes to their bodies’. Its website
says: ‘Our period delay service allows women
to control when their period starts for times
when a period would be inconvenient, such
as when they are going on holiday.’
Norethisterone, sold under the brand
name Utovlan, works by mimicking proges-terone, the hormone which triggers a period
when its levels drop – keeping it steady.
It should be taken three days before a
period is due to start. A maximum of 90
pills – a month’s supply – can be handed out
by Superdrug to women aged 18 and over.
Last year more the NHS handed out more
than 455,000 prescriptions for the pill, whichis also used to treat heavy periods and
endometriosis. The medication, previously
also available though online pharmacies,
has side-effects including depression, high
blood pressure, fatigue and weight gain.
Shirin Irani, a consultant gynaecologist at
the Heart of England NHS Foundation
Trust, said: ‘This is a good idea provided
women use it responsibly and do not think
it’s a contraceptive.’
Dr Zoe Williams, a GP in London, said: ‘I
have prescribed these tablets for when a
period is going to be a real inconvenience,
such as if someone is going on holiday or
has exams.
‘Women will sometimes take it in the days
leading up to their wedding. Like any medi-
cation it can have potential side-effects and
isn’t suitable for everyone.’The over-the-counter
pill to delay periods
By Victoria Allen
Science CorrespondentПОДГОТОВИЛА
ГРУППА"What's News"
VK.COM/WSNWS