Pierre Barnes: 'It would need a miracle for our son to return safe "I didn't take Pierre," he said. But when we got back, my daughter told him about it and pointed out where it was. Shortly before 5pm, Pierre asked if he could go off on his own and Mr Barnes now believes he went to try to find the cove himself. By 7pm, the family, from Grantham, Lincs, had become increasingly concerned and contacted the emergency services. They cycled back to the cove but could find no sign of their youngest son. That night, a treacherous storm swept in and the island was battered by 80mph winds and 20ft waves. The gales were so strong that the overnight search for Pierre was severely hampered. The storm rapidly blew away any scent that sniffer dogs may have been able to trace, while the launch of two rescue helicopters and boats from the mainland was delayed. The following day, Pierre's bike was found, its chain missing, as well as one of his shoes nearby in the undergrowth. "There are always 'what ifs,"" Mr Barnes said. Of course, I wish I had taken him out; if only the bike had not gone wrong. We could have looked at the weather forecast. It's very unfortunate that the gales blew away the scent, that the storm meant the helicopters could not get here a little quicker. If that, if the other ... but the truth is, life is like that. It was just a freak accident, one of those tragic things that no one can be blamed for. You have to give children some freedom. He's the victim of the storm really. Mr Barnes admitted that despite the "tremendous response" from the local community and the search teams, his hopes for his son were fading. "I thought he could probably survive one night, then perhaps move about and be seen," he said. That was the hope. Having been through a second night, we began to think there was less and less chance that we would see him. I don't think he would have given up lightly though. He would have gone on and on, even without a shoe. Mr Barnes, who is the director of a property company, was keen to praise the local police, fire fighters and the military, as well as locals, who had combed the forest day and night in search of Pierre. "From the moment they were informed, they have been marvellous," he said. The mayor put a message on Facebook and the locals all turned out, searching until 2am. Only about 200 people live on the island but about 100 people were out again early the next day. "It was so much more than I could have expected," said Mr Barnes. They appear to have left no stone unturned and I cannot thank them enough. Mr Barnes, who has given a statement to police, was convinced that his son had simply become lost and disorientated. "We like islands because you assume they are safe," he said. People don't tend to abduct you on islands. We hadn't been here before but we chose it because we are keen cyclists and it's free of traffic. But most of the island is national park and it's very easy to get lost. It's covered with a thick canopy of trees. Mr and Mrs Barnes have been married almost 20 years. She gave up her career as a teacher to raise their four children but has recently begun to work again, in both primary schools and adult education centres. Pierre had recently started at The King's School in Grantham. Mr Barnes described his son as "a very original, good-natured little boy" with a ­"phenomenal memory" and an encyclopedic knowledge of Doctor Who. "He could have gone on Mastermind, a little bit of a boffin in the making," he said. But in other ways, he could be quite gauche. He was young for his age but he was the baby of the family. He was very loving and very sweet. With the search continuing as darkness fell last night, Mr Barnes added: "One moment you are in floods of tears and the next more collected. The more time passes, the less hope you have. It would need a miracle now.