Furious parents of fugitive dad ‘The Bushman’ break silence after son fled in wild with three kids
THE furious parents of a fugitive dad dubbed “The Bushman” have broken their silence after he fled with their grandkids.
Tom Phillips has gone rogue with his three children in the King Country, New Zealand, with his ex-wife pleading for him to bring them home.
In an interview with Stuff.co.nz, the 37-year-old’s dad Neville said very little of what was reported in the media was the truth.
But he said he wouldn’t reveal what he thinks the truth is as it would be “putting somebody else down”.
Neville said: “There’s two sides to the story, and only one is coming out.
“There’s one conclusion, just leave [Tom] alone, walk away.”
Wife Julia said people are “guessing” that Tom’s family is helping him stay out in the bus forest – but she says that is not true.
She said that they were now having to put up with lawyers, child services, and the media because of the case’s notoriety.
Julia said: “The whole thing’s a rort right from the beginning, so we’ve just got to stop it somehow.”
Phillips, and his kids Jayda, 10, Maverick, nine, and Ember, seven, were reported missing from the village of Marokopa on January 18, 2022.
Kiwi cops have attempted to locate Phillips multiple times over the last 31 months but the expert bushman has managed to escape each time.
New footage released last month showed the fugitive dad and his kids together for the first time since they vanished.
The clip showed a man leading a gang of three children in the middle of a farm – clad in trekking gear along with rucksacks.
In June, New Zealand cops posted a £38,500 (NZ$80,000) reward for information about the whereabouts of the missing dad and his three children.
Hundreds of armed officers alongside choppers have so far scoured the backcountry around Marokopa.
Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said: “There’s obviously not the gold nugget … of this is where he is. We haven’t got that yet.”
He added Phillips was armed and was a risk to the community – who should not approach him.
He said: “We have concerns for the welfare of the children who have been living in isolation for the past two and a half years, with no connection to others and without formal education and healthcare.”
Philips and his three kids vanished for the first time in September 2021 after his truck was found abandoned at a beach.
They appeared shortly afterwards and Philips said they had been on a camping trip.
The dad had been due to appear in court charged with wasting police resources – but failed to do so.
In January 2022 the dad and the three children disappeared for the second time – and they haven’t returned.
Philips was spotted in the farming town of Te Kuiti last year when he robbed a bank at gunpoint before fleeing in a stolen motorcycle alongside a child.
A month later, in August, he was seen speeding in a stolen Toyota Hilux.
And in November, he was caught on CCTV with a child trying to break into a store in Piopio.
Earlier this month he was seen at a hotel in Ōtorohanga – but he managed to flee before police arrived.
Cat, who separated from her now ex-husband after eight years of marriage, called him a “criminal” for doing what she described as “child abuse”.
But she said she was “overwhelmed” and “relieved” after watching the new video that showed Philips and his three kids in a remote location.
The mum told the New Zealand Herald: “[Watching them] was overwhelming, it was amazing, it was the best thing.
“It was like Christmas came early and I really thought they would be coming home this time.
“I just broke down… I can’t see their faces but I can see them walking and they’re all there, and they’re capable of carrying their own bags.”
She has appealed to the public to help find them and come forward with any details they might have on Philips.
“It doesn’t get any easier… it’s been nearly three years,” she said.
“There’s three children still missing with a criminal at large.
“They shouldn’t have to worry about where they’re going to sleep that night or whether they’re going to be warm.”
Cat said she was “eternally grateful” for the person who shot the evidence of the kids being alive.