Mother finally speaks out after fleeing with three-year-old son

A mother embroiled in a bitter custody battle has opened up about her decision to flee with her three-year-old son, Ethan, after learning that a court ruled her child should live with his father.

35-year-old Rebecca Minnock fled her home in Somerset two weeks ago in the aftermath of the court's ruling and says her decision was based on her son's welfare.

Speaking to The Sun newspaper, the mother explained her controversial choice, asserting: "It's my son and I need to put him first over myself or anybody else."

Elaborating on the decision to flee, Ethan's mum explained that she felt 'trapped', saying: "I just lost all trust and faith in the system completely. I just couldn't bear to leave my son."

Acknowledging that her decision has had severe implication for both herself and family members, Rebecca admitted: "I know I'm going to be in a huge, huge amount of trouble. I've even got family members into trouble."

The mother decided to speak out after her disappearance resulted in the arrest of her mother, brother and sister as well as her mother's ex-partner, Andrew Butt, who is due to appear at Bristol Crown Court later today.

Commenting on her daughter's reaction to the court's possible ruling a fortnight ago, Rebecca's mother said: "She said she had had enough of being failed. I said, 'You have to be strong'. She knew what was going to happen in court."

Having asserted that Ethan had been exposed to 'emotional harm' by his mother, the judge ruled in favour of his father, permitting Rebecca supervised contact.