Though quiet and studious, he appeared very scared. And he flat-out refused to take part in sport with the other year-olds. Yesterday, they discovered that something was indeed amiss - as Adam turned out to be a year-old woman, on the run from police. Barbora Skrlova was arrested yesterday after fleeing the city where she had been living her lie for four months.
The bizarre masquerade in Norway was an attempt to escape from an investigation in her home country, the Czech Republic. The mystery involves an obscure religious sect and allegations of child abuse.
Skrlova's role remains unclear, Norwegian police spokesman Sven T Roer said. Skrlova first came to the attention of authorities in May, when she was found at a house in the Czech Republic during a raid by police investigating child sex abuse.
The adults involved were said to be members of The Grail Movement, which follows the teachings of a 19th century German mystic. Annika was taken into care but police inquiries soon showed she was in fact Skrlova, whose year-old father is head of the Czech branch of the movement. She had already escaped, however, allegedly with the help of a couple involved with the sect.
They are thought to have used their year-old son Adam's passport to take her to Denmark and then Norway. A staff member who thought the boy seemed troubled contacted the authorities. But Adam managed to disappear. A picture was circulated in Norway and he was finally captured in the north of the country - where his true identity was discovered. Skrlova, who arrived at Prague airport yesterday holding a teddy bear and a children's book, is said to be in a "shattered" state.
