A family friend of Rebecca Minnock has sensationally admitted he helped her escape as a publicity stunt - and asked a judge to free him so he could go pick her up.
Andrew Butt, 56, the on-off partner of Becky's mum Louise, had initially told officers he hadn't seen Becky since the day before she went missing.
But in remarkable scenes at Bristol Crown Court he told a judge: "Basically the plan was to keep her away for as long as possible and to generate as much publicity as possible."
He was arrested after CCTV emerged of him driving her to pick up cash on the day she vanished but maintained he didn't know where she was and hadn't helped her.
Judge Stephen Wildblood QC ruled on Thursday his version of events was "a string of lies" and said he was in contempt of court and would face prison.
But in dramatic scenes, just before he was about to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court, he asked to take to the stand and tell the truth.
Butt told the judge he'd helped he flee so her custody battle would get media attention - and said he could go and ''pick her up''.
The lorry driver confessed he told a "pack of lies" and after a "hard night in the cells" wanted to tell the truth.
He confessed he arranged to take Becky to the cash point to withdraw as much money as possible, before taking her to Cheltenham, Glos., where she would stay with friends.
Butt said he dropped her off on a road in Cheltenham - the same road two of her aunties live on.
Tearful Butt even told the court that he told his former partner Louise - Becky's mum - was informed of his plan when he returned.
He said: "[We discussed] where she was going to go, how long to last for, and just to keep on running basically.
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