The search for a missing mother and her three-year-old son who are on the run after a judge ruled the boy should live with his father is widening.
Police revealed there have been possible sightings of Rebecca Minnock, 35, and son Ethan in the Cheltenham and Birmingham areas.
Miss Minnock fled her home in Highbridge, Somerset with her son two weeks ago following a court order that he should live with his father Roger Williams.
Avon and Somerset Police previously appealed for help tracing the mother and child but could not reveal the circumstances behind their disappearance due to reporting restrictions in such cases.
But yesterday - in a highly unusual step - Judge Stephen Wildblood QC allowed the full facts to be reported to help find Ethan and reunite him with his father.
Miss Minnock, who likes to be known as Becky, was last seen at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton on May 26.
Detective Chief Inspector 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 May 26, we have reports that they have been spotted in the Cheltenham area and more recently in the Birmingham area of the West Midlands.
"We do not think they are local at the moment, so what I am asking is for friends and family and anyone who might know Becky and Ethan to contact us as soon as they can and tell us where she is.
"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."
Miss Minnock was due to attend a family court hearing – in which the order to hand Ethan to Mr Williams was made – in Bristol at 9am on May 27 but failed to turn up and vanished.
She is described as white, about 5ft 3ins tall and of medium build. She has dark wavy shoulder length hair. Police do not know what she was wearing when she went missing.
Ethan is of small build with blond or fair hair and blue eyes.
Miss Minnock, who does not drive, is a regular user of public transport.
The judge lifted reporting restrictions at a hearing at Bristol Crown Court yesterday to assist in the search for Ethan.
"It is really important that we work together - the court and the press - to find where this child now is," the judge said.
"Any assistance by the press in finding where he is would be gratefully received."
Miss Minnock's brother Marvin Shaw, sister Limmie Shaw, and mother Louise Minnock, appeared before the judge for a one-day hearing.
All three were arrested on Sunday in relation to the family court proceedings and were not charged with any offence.
Both Mr Shaw and Mrs Minnock gave evidence before the court, swearing they did not know the location of Miss Minnock or Ethan.
The judge said he remained "deeply suspicious" that the pair had not revealed all they could about the disappearance during their time in the witness box.
"I have suspicions that you know more," the judge told them. "The inquiries go on and Ethan will be found, so the longer it lasts, the worse it gets for everyone."
The judge adjourned the case after ordering the family to come forward if they receive any information that would lead to Ethan being found.
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 Mr Williams applied for contact with his son.
Magistrates ordered that Mr Williams should have some contact with Ethan in the presence of Miss Minnock in August 2013 but this arrangement broke down two months later.
In January 2014, Miss Minnock made allegations against Mr Williams. These were all rejected by a district judge that April.
A further hearing took place in February this year after Miss Minnock made further allegations. A district judge found these had been "fabricated" by Miss Minnock to "frustrate contact".
Ethan began to spend four nights a week with his father and three nights a week with his mother following the court hearing.
Child psychiatrist Dr Mark Berelowitz carried out a report on Ethan and found the boy had a "warm relationship" with both parents.
But Dr Berelowitz said Miss Minnock did not accept that Mr Williams was innocent of her allegations and had questioned Ethan "extensively".
He recommended that Ethan should live with his father and have supervised contact with Miss Minnock, a view shared by a social worker and guardian.
A hearing was listed before a district judge on May 27. Prior to the hearing, Miss Minnock was advised that Ethan would be taken to live with his father.
Mrs Minnock, a mother of four, said her daughter had been due to attend the hearing in Bristol and was "very upset" about the outcome.
"She said she had had enough of being failed," Mrs Minnock said. "I said 'You have to be strong'. She knew what was going to happen in court.
"I think Ethan was going to go to his father and after a couple of weeks she would get a call from Ethan and then maybe supervised access.
"I thought it was disgraceful. She did say she was frightened. She said she wasn't looking forward to it."
Miss Minnock was last seen at Asda in Highbridge at 8.17am on May 27 - the morning of the court case - withdrawing cash.
She was driven away in a black Ford Focus, which appeared to head towards Cheltenham, where members of her family live.
Mrs Minnock said her daughter and grandson could not be found in the town, adding: "I miss them terribly.
"I think she has panicked and couldn't take it. It's a hard thing to come to court."
At the Bristol hearing, a district judge found Ethan had been exposed to "emotional harm" by his mother and ruled she had breached previous court orders.
The judge ordered that Ethan should live with his father, with Miss Minnock allowed only supervised contact.
Later that day, police launched an appeal to track down Miss Minnock and Ethan but the link between their disappearance and the case could not be reported.
Miss Minnock's family began campaigning for support of the full-time mother, insisting she had been "failed" by authorities.
Mr Shaw said he had received three short phone calls from his sister, all from a withheld number and lasting a short time.
"She said all I needed to know was that she was safe and well and Ethan was safe and well," he told the judge.
"I just know that if my sister is with her little boy, I know that she is keeping him safe."
Mr Shaw said he had spoken to his sister, who lived in a two-bedroomed rented home, about the court order and urged her to appeal against it.
"I do think the authorities have failed her," he told the judge. "I think she can't flee forever, you are going to find her eventually. I don't think she has had a fair hearing, by any means.
"I just don't understand how the psychiatrist's report, the social services report came back that she was a good mother, she didn't have a mental disorder but they have still continued to want to take the child from her.
"That is a massive injustice."
The judge told Mr Shaw: "They are, in effect, on the run. They can't claim benefits because, if they do, they will be found."
Mr Shaw said he would encourage his sister to return home with Ethan when she next contacted him, a sentiment echoed by Mrs Minnock.