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Rebecca Minnock: friend jailed for helping runaway mother flee with son
Rebecca Minnock's mother and friend jailed for helping her flee with son
(about 1 hour later)
A close friend of Rebecca Minnock has urged the runaway mother to give herself in because the situation had become “too big”, as he was jailed for 28 days for helping her flee with her three-year-old son.
The mother and a close family friend of missing Rebecca Minnock have been jailed for lying about a “wicked” plot to help her go into hiding with her three-year-old son in order to generate publicity for a bitter custody battle.
Andrew Butt, the long-time boyfriend of Minnock’s mother, Louise, told Bristol crown court he took Minnock and her son, Ethan, away on the morning of a key court hearing as part of a plan to generate nationwide publicity for an acrimonious custody battle.
As police continued to search for the pair, the missing woman’s mother, Louise Minnock, and her partner, Andrew Butt, were both found to be in contempt of court by lying about the circumstances of her disappearance.
Late on Friday afternoon Butt was sentenced to 28 days in jail by the judge, Stephen Wildblood QC, for being in contempt of court. Minnock’s mother, Louise, was jailed for 10 days for the same offence.
Before they were taken to prison on Friday – Louise Minnock for 10 days and Butt for 28 – Butt appealed to the runaway to turn herself in, accepting the case had become “too big”.
Before his sentencing Butt had urged Minnock to end her spell as a fugitive, telling her the situation had “got too big”. “It’s massive,” he said. “There’s no hiding no more. You can’t run forever. Everyone in the country knows about it. Where do you run to?
Addressing Rebecca Minnock, Butt said: “It’s massive. There’s no hiding no more. You can’t run forever. Everyone in the country knows about it. Where do you run to? You need to come home. It’s over.”
“You need to come home. This can’t go on any longer. It needs to be brought to a head. I’ll come to wherever you are in the country and bring you back. There’s nowhere to run to, it’s over.”
The judge overseeing the effort to find mother and child also made a direct appeal to her, promising that: “Everything possible will be done to ensure that Ethan has an effective relationship with both of his parents.”
Minnock, 35, fled from her home in Highbridge, Somerset, following a two-year battle for custody on 27 May – the morning of a hearing at which she believed a court would decide Ethan should live with his father. Police have been searching for mother and son since.
Following a two-year battle for custody of Ethan, Minnock fled from her home in Highbridge, Somerset, on 27 May – the morning of a hearing at which she believed a court would decide Ethan should live with his father. Police have been searching for mother and son ever since.
Earlier this week the judge, Wildblood, took the very unusual step of allowing family court proceedings to be reported in full to publicise the hunt for the pair. And on Friday Avon and Somerset police also made a direct video appeal to Minnock, telling her she “can’t hide forever” and urging her to give herself up.
Earlier this week the judge, Stephen Wildblood QC, took the very unusual step of allowing family court proceedings to be reported in full to publicise the hunt for the pair. Detectives have investigated possible sightings of Minnock, 35, in Cheltenham and the West Midlands and she has twice contacted tabloid newspapers to describe why she left and how she feels.
Detectives have investigated possible sightings of Minnock in Cheltenham and the West Midlands and she has twice contacted tabloid newspapers to describe why she left and how she feels.
In a dramatic day at Bristol crown court, lorry driver Butt admitted he had earlier lied when he said in court he had not helped Minnock flee.
On Thursday, Butt denied he had helped Minnock flee but Wildblood ruled he was lying and found him guilty of contempt of court. At his sentencing hearing on Friday lunchtime Butt’s barrister, Martin Kenny, announced his client was now admitting he had lied.
In fact, Butt claimed he and Minnock had plotted her flight the night before she vanished. “She said she couldn’t stand the thought of losing Ethan,” he said. “She asked if I would help her get away. I said yes.”
Butt claimed he and Minnock had plotted her flight the night before she vanished. “She said she couldn’t stand the thought of losing Ethan,” he said. “She asked if I would help her get away. I said yes.”
They met shortly after 8am on 27 May, Butt told the court. He said she drew out £300 from a cashpoint and they drove to Cheltenham, where Minnock has family. Butt said he dropped her off at a road junction near a park and told her: “Keep running...keep moving”.
One idea was to hide with Ethan in a holiday camp but they decided to go to Cheltenham, where Minnock has family. Butt said nobody else knew of the plan. “I told Becky not to tell anyone. I said the less people that know the better.”
Butt added: “The plan was to keep her away for as long as possible and generate as much publicity as possible.” He said Minnock felt people weren’t listening to her. “I said the press will be involved when you go missing. Then people will listen.”
Asked why Minnock had chosen him to help, he said he was the only one who could drive – and she would be spotted if she left by train.
Asked if they were deliberately using the press, he replied: “Yes.” He said they had succeeded. “We have got what we wanted to achieve. We have got the press, we have got the newspapers. Maybe we can make a stronger case. It’s the way we planned it and the way it has worked out.”
They met shortly after 8am on 27 May, Butt told Bristol crown court. He said she drew out £300 from a cashpoint and they drove her to Cheltenham. Butt said he dropped her off at a road junction near a park and told her: “Keep running.” He said she was worried about how long her money would last, how long she would be able to “run” for. “She was nervous and scared about that.”
Butt added: “The plan was to keep her away for as long as possible and generate as much publicity as possible.” He said Minnock felt people weren’t listening to her. “I said the press will be involved when you go missing. Then people will listen.” Asked by his barrister, Martin Kenny, if they were deliberately using the press, he replied: “Yes.”
Butt insisted he had acted out of “care and love” and not malice. He continued: “I didn’t mean to cause the disruption I have caused. We didn’t expect it to explode in the manner it has exploded. It’s over. We can’t fight this.”
He said the best thing for the court to do was free him so he could get in touch with Minnock. “I need to pick her up and take her to where she needs to go and let’s resolve this and deal with the consequences,” he said. “We have got what we wanted to achieve. We have got the press, we have got the newspapers. Maybe we can make a stronger case. It’s the way we planned it and the way it has worked out.”
Wildblood pointed out to Butt that the courts had looked very carefully at Minnock’s case and at claims she had made against Ethan’s father, Roger Williams, and had concluded she had made up false allegations to frustrate contact between him and his son.
Wildblood pointed out to Butt that the courts had looked very carefully at Minnock’s case and at claims she had made against Ethan’s father, Roger Williams, and had concluded she had made up false allegations to frustrate contact between him and his son.
The judge described the plan to use the press as “wicked” and asked him what impact the sort of action Minnock had taken must have on children. “They get hurt,” Butt replied. The judge asked him what would happen if everyone behaved in such a way. “Chaos, anarchy,” Butt replied.
The judge described the plan to use the press as “wicked” and asked him what impact he thought the sort of action Minnock had taken must have on children. “They get hurt,” Butt replied. The judge asked him what would happen if everyone behaved in such a way. “Chaos, anarchy,” Butt replied.
Butt is due to be brought back before the court on Friday afternoon. The judge has also told Louise Minnock that she will be questioned in court.
Butt also admitted in court that he had told Louise Minnock he had taken her daughter to Cheltenham. Louise Minnock had previously denied in court any knowledge of where her daughter had gone. The judge ruled this also amounted to contempt and ordered her back to court.
Wildblood also made remarks aimed at Minnock, pointing out what harm was being done to Ethan – and how seriously the courts took the issue of both parents having access to children.
Sentencing Butt and Louise Minnock, the judge said: “This is not a game. It is an extremely serious case about the welfare of a three-year-old boy.” He said both had deliberately obstructed the efforts to find Minnock.
The judge said: “No one can simply ignore that orders have been made which the mother has disobeyed; if I said otherwise it would send out a signal that the court will ignore breaches of its own orders, a signal that would be absurd and utterly wrong. Rather than act through the legal system the mother has chosen to take matters into her own hands. No parent, be it a mother or a father, should ever behave in that way.”
Avon and Somerset police made a direct video appeal to the missing woman on Friday. DCI Marie Wright told Minnock: “There is always a solution and a way forward and we can help you through this.”
But he added: “I think that it is important for the public and the mother to understand that, in relation to the functioning of the family court when making orders concerning Ethan, there are clear legal provisions. Everything possible will be done to ensure that Ethan has an effective relationship with both of his parents.”
Reinforcing the judge’s comments, Avon and Somerset police also made a direct video appeal to Minnock on Friday, telling her she “can’t hide forever” and urging her to give herself up. DCI Marie Wright posted the two-and-half-minute message to Minnock, known as Becky, on YouTube.
“I know you are going to be under a huge amount of emotional pressure and strain and I want you to come to the right decision about you and Ethan and I know you said to the papers that you ‘want to hand yourself in’, I think is the phrase you used,” the detective said.
“What I would like to do is talk to you about how we can do that later because I am more than happy to speak to you on the phone and we can work out what is the best way to get you and Ethan back to having some sort of normal life.
“You don’t have to carry on hiding. There is always a solution and a way forward and we can help you through this.
“We know you are looking after Ethan, we know he’s safe and well but you cannot keep on hiding forever, Becky. Please get in touch, we really want to help you. Thank you.”
