The Derry woman who on Thursday lost custody of her five-year-old son following a court hearing in Florida in the US said yesterday she was determined to appeal the verdict.
Ms Cara Gunn, speaking from Dunnellon, Florida, said she had instructed her attorney to begin the appeal process, and said she would fight the decision of Judge Carven D. Angel "all the way to return home to Derry with Dylan".
Proceedings were initiated against Ms Gunn by her former husband, ex-marine Robert Gunn, after she returned home to Derry with Dylan following the breakdown of their marriage last summer.
Ms Gunn, who is not a US citizen, had to return to Florida with her son after the High Court in Belfast had ruled she had contravened the Hague Convention when she brought Dylan back to Derry. She was ordered to return to Florida on a 90-day visa to contest the custody battle.
"I'm still in a state of shock. I just can't believe it, the whole thing is so surreal," she said. "My attorney has agreed to waive his fees for the appeal but I will have to pay court costs of up to $10,000. I cannot understand how the judge came to his decision.
"I know many people back in Derry, including Foyle Women's Aid and my family and friends, are doing all they can to help me raise the $10,000. It really means a lot to me that so many people are doing all they can for Dylan and me."