The search for a missing mother who went on the run with her three-year-old son during a bitter custody battle has been widened by police, as members of her family said they feared she may never see her child again once she is found or gives herself up.
Rebecca Minnock, 35, fled her Somerset home a fortnight ago following a two-year legal fight after learning that a court had decided that her son, Ethan, should live with his father, Roger Williams.
Avon and Somerset police said on Wednesday afternoon the search had been widened and they were investigating reports that she had been spotted in Gloucestershire and the West Midlands. Relatives also said that it was possible she had left the country, and she has friends in Ireland and France.
Meanwhile, Williams, speaking for the first time, said he was deeply concerned about his son. “I’m really worried about him; I just want him back,” he said.
Minnock and her son vanished from her home in Highbridge, Somerset, two weeks ago but the circumstances of their disappearance remained secret until reporting restrictions were lifted by a judge on Tuesday.
Stephen Wildblood QC appealed to the media for assistance in reuniting Ethan with his father, saying: “It is really important that we work together – the court and the press – to find where this child is.”
The judge also warned Minnock’s brother, Marvin Shaw, sister Limmie Shaw and mother Louise Minnock, that they would face charges including contempt of court and perjury if they did not reveal what they knew about the whereabouts of Ethan and his mother. All three were arrested on Sunday in relation to the family court proceedings.
Avon and Somerset police said on Wednesday there had been “possible sightings” of Minnock in Cheltenham, where she has family, and in the West Midlands.
DCI Marie Wright said: “It is fairly unusual for a court to lift the reporting restrictions, allowing us to act as their agents and continue the search for Becky and her son. We need to find Becky and Ethan very, very quickly.
“Since they were last seen in Taunton on 26 May, we have reports that they have been spotted in the Cheltenham area and more recently in the Birmingham area of the West Midlands. We are keen to hear from Becky or anyone who knows her whereabouts to contact us.
“As time goes on, we are really concerned at the emotional impact this will have upon Becky and Ethan because the court process cannot be evaded forever.”
Minnock is described as a white woman about 5ft 3in tall, of medium build. She has dark wavy shoulder length hair. It is not known what she was wearing when she went missing. Ethan is a white boy of small build with blond/fair hair and blue eyes. Minnock does not drive, so police asked public transport users to keep a lookout for the pair.
The missing woman’s aunt, Caroline Minnock, said she believed her niece will lose all links with her son once she is found. “It’s all got out of hand,” she said. “I think she’s in big trouble. I know for a fact now that she won’t see him [Ethan] again. She won’t even get visitation.”
She added: “I know she [Rebecca] has spoken to her brother to say she is fine, but she has called from a withheld number. We don’t even know if she’s in the UK.”
Caroline, from Cheltenham, said she was “gobsmacked” when members of the family were told to appear in court. “It’s mad – absolute madness. I just don’t know what is going on. The police think they know where Becky is, but nobody knows.
“We know she is safe but she is calling off a withheld number. She has called someone and said she’s fine, but that’s it. We’ve let them [the police] into our houses. We’ve not got anything to hide.”
Caroline said every day her niece had with Ethan was “precious”. “She is a quiet girl. Never got in any trouble. She went to college and enjoyed art. She is a very quiet gentle person. He is a such a sweet boy.”
Minnock’s family have launched a campaign claiming that she has been treated unfairly and let down by social services, police and the courts.
Ethan, who was born in January 2012, has lived with his mother since his parents’ separation in February 2013. Legal proceedings started between the parents in March 2013, when Williams applied for contact with his son. Magistrates ordered that Williams should have some contact with Ethan in the presence of Minnock in August 2013, but this arrangement broke down two months later.
In January 2014, Minnock made allegations against Williams. These were all rejected by a district judge in April 2014. A hearing next took place in February 2015, after Minnock made further allegations. A district judge found these had been “fabricated” by Minnock to “frustrate contact”.
Ethan began to spend four nights a week with his father and three nights a week with his mother. A child psychiatrist, Dr Mark Berelowitz, carried out a report on Ethan and found the boy had a “warm relationship” with both parents. However, Dr Berelowitz said Minnock did not accept that Williams was innocent of her allegations and had questioned Ethan “extensively”.
He recommended Ethan should live with his father and have supervised contact with Minnock, a view shared by a social worker.
Another court hearing was listed before a district judge on 27 May. Prior to the hearing, Minnock was advised Ethan would be taken to live with his father and fled before the case could be heard.
A second aunt, Margaret Minnock, also from Cheltenham, said her niece was not in a “settled” state or acting with a “reasonable thought process”.
She claimed Minnock panicked on the morning of the court case when she knew she was going to lose custody of her son. “She is distraught, she is absolutely devastated. She doesn’t know which way to turn. We’re worried about her future and how long you can sustain this for. She is a great mum. They’ve got the most beautiful relationship.”
Asked whether Minnock had considered handing herself in, Margaret said: “She is struggling with that. There have been little thoughts of ‘Should I give myself up?’ I don’t think she knows what she is going to do. I think she expects to be picked up. I think eventually she will be found.”
Minnock claimed her niece has been let down by the authorities. “The case needs someone independent, higher up, to review the whole case,” she said.
Both Somerset county council and Sedgemoor district council declined to comment, saying that they were not involved in the case.
