A 14-year-old British girl missing from her home in England for some three weeks was found in Athens on Saturday after police in the southern suburb of Glyfada arrested the much older man with whom she allegedly ran away.

The man, believed to be 48-year-old laborer Peter Willcox, was charged yesterday with kidnapping a minor.

Nataleigh Cross from Margate, Kent, was declared missing by her mother on July 5, prompting British police to launch a search across Europe with help from Interpol. It was not immediately clear how the pair arrived in Greece but officers said that during questioning Cross said they planned to travel to India to get married and live permanently.

Two British police officers were to fly to Athens yesterday to collect the girl and take her home.