A little girl denied a visa for the UK and then sent back to the horrors of war-torn Ukraine has again been denied entry, despite having a sponsor in place.
Alika Zubets, four, was considered an "unaccompanied minor" under Government rules as she arrived with her grandmother, rather than her parents.
Her dad stayed behind to fight the Russian invaders, while her mother was unable to leave her own mum who has mobility issues.
Alika was given hope of finally gaining access to the UK when the announced that it would begin processing applications from unaccompanied children and she was granted a visa.
In a fresh blow, British Government officials confirmed it was approved in error.
Her sponsor, Dr Maggie Babb, a paediatric anaesthetist at Royal Stoke University Hospital, who has five children of her own ranging from 12 years old to 22, said: "I am speechless.
“We had been trying to find out where we had to pick up Alika's visa from so we could make her travel arrangements, but then a woman from the Home Office rang me to say it had been issued in error.
“We were so close and it has been snatched away. Tania and her family are extremely anxious about it all. It's potentially very tragic and she must be thinking about it every waking moment.
"If Alika is stuck in Kharkiv and gets killed, how could we ever live with that?
“I feel like I have a relationship with this little girl that I have never met and if anything happens to her I will be devastated."
Maggie is now hoping that Staffordshire County Council will approve their arrangements as Alika's grandmother Tanya has temporary notarised legal guardianship of Alika and will be living with her at Maggie's home in Audley.
Although Alika’s parents are still in Ukraine, her mum’s cousin Oksana lives in Newcastle with her husband Karl Stubbs.
He said of the situation: “We are all disappointed by the latest twist. We cannot understand the reasoning behind the decision and we are astounded by the lack of compassion.
"We are dismayed by the inefficiency of the Home Office and the lack of communication, mixed messages and misinformation.”
A spokesman for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, which oversees the Homes for Ukraine scheme, said the department is "aware of the issue and is working with MP Aaron Bell to get it resolved".
He added: "We have a responsibility to keep children safe and have put in place strong safeguarding measures to protect them once they arrive in the UK.
“The sponsor should, wherever possible, be personally known to the parents. However, local authorities will review cases and can choose to make exceptions where it is in the best interest of the child.”
Victoria Wilson, cabinet member for communities at Staffordshire County Council, added: "We’re continuing to work hard to ensure everything is in place to welcome refugees from Ukraine across Staffordshire and to support them when they are here.
"No minors have been declined support from us, and we are currently getting ready to deal with these new responsibilities regarding minors coming from Ukraine. We will be looking at each individual case as they come to us."
