THOUSANDS of people have signed a petition in support of a volunteer aid worker who could be facing a jail sentence in France.

Rob Lawrie is back home in Guiseley after spending five nights in a French prison for trying to smuggle a refugee child into the UK.

Mr Lawrie, who has been running mercy missions to the notorious Jungle refugee camp in Calais, agreed to take four year old Bahar after her father had pleaded for his help.

The Afghan family have relatives in Leeds and had asked Mr Lawrie - who runs an Otley carpet cleaning business - if he could get Bahar to them.

But he was stopped at the border and has admitted to his crime, which he insisted was motivated by compassion.

Charged with smuggling, he is due to appear in court in Boulogne in January.

Messages of support, meanwhile, have been flooding in and a 38 Degrees online petition that is calling on the UK Government to appeal for clemency has already attracted more than 2,500 signatures.

Posting on his Facebook page, Mr Lawrie said: "So let's sum up the last week.

"Made some mistakes check YES; five days in a French nick on smuggling charges check YES."

He added: "Worldwide support check YES; Tried to help wrongly or rightly check YES."

Bahar, meanwhile - whose nickname is Bru - is back living in the camp at Calais with her father.

Mr Lawrie has put the photo of him with her that is published here up on his Facebook page with this message: "Get Bru to her family in Leeds.

"Bru is a child refugee living in The Jungle in Calais. She is four years old.

"The Jungle is located on an ex chemical dump! She has family living in Leeds for the last ten years who can love her and support her."

A Support Rob Lawrie Facebook page has been started and has already attracted 654 members.

It says: "The current refugee crisis has affected millions of people and by showing solidarity by helping those in The Jungle, Calais, Rob's life has been changed forever.

"Knowing that a four-year-old girl could be reunited with her family just 20 miles from where he lives, where she could be warm, fed and safe, meant he committed an unlawful error of judgement."

Otley Town Councillor Ray Georgeson (Lib Dem, Danefield), speaking as a resident and supporter of local initiatives to assist Syrian and other refugees, said: "Many people in Otley, including me and my family, were moved to support Mr Lawrie in the initiative he took to collect goods and take van-loads to Calais.

"While acknowledging that Mr Lawrie himself has pleaded guilty to the charges made, I hope his humanitarian motivation in response to this horrendous refugee crisis is fully taken into account in any judgement reached by the French authorities."