Ex of ‘Bushman’ who fled into wild with her kids breaks silence after seeing them for first time in 3 years in new vid

THE ex-wife of a fugitive dada who went off-grid with their kids has breached her soundlessness aft watching them for the archetypal clip successful 3 years.

Cat, who separated from her present ex-husband Tom Phillps aft 8 years of marriage, called him a "criminal" for doing what she described arsenic "child abuse".

Tom has been connected the run for much than 2 years despite CCTV showing him trying to interruption into a store alongside a kid successful New Zealand.

He disappeared aft robbing a slope astatine gunpoint and was reported missing on with his kids Jayda, 10, Maverick, nine, and Ember, 7 successful 2022.

Cops person attempted to find him aggregate times implicit the past 30 months but the adept "Bushman" managed to flight each time.

They judge helium is hiding successful distant bushland.

Cat said she was "overwhelmed" and "relieved" aft watching the caller video that showed Philips and his 3 kids successful a distant location.

The mum told the New Zealand Herald: "[Watching them] was overwhelming, it was amazing, it was the champion thing.

"It was similar Christmas travel aboriginal and I truly thought they would beryllium coming location this time.

"I conscionable broke down … I can’t spot their faces but I tin spot them walking and they’re each there, and they’re susceptible of carrying their ain bags.”

She has present appealed to the nationalist to assistance find them and travel guardant with immoderate details they mightiness person connected Philips to halt the "child abuse".

"It doesn’t get immoderate easier ... It’s been astir 3 years," she said.

“There’s three children inactive missing with a transgression astatine large. They shouldn’t person to interest astir wherever they’re going to slumber that nighttime oregon whether they’re going to beryllium warm."

But Cat's agony continued arsenic cops confirmed the sighting was credible, but failed to find the household adjacent aft an extended hunt operation.

Clad successful trekking cogwheel on with rucksacks, Philips on with the kids was seen trekking uphill successful the distant country of  Waikato's westbound coast.

While the dada has been spotted a fewer times aft disappearing, the caller footage shows him on with his kids unneurotic for the archetypal clip since they vanished.

It was was changeable by a pig hunter, 1News reports.

Cat said she was "eternally grateful" for the idiosyncratic who changeable the grounds of the kids being alive.

She added: "I americium truthful grateful to him and I cannot explicit myself capable due to the fact that truthful galore radical spot things retired determination and they don’t situation to travel forward."

Philips is believed to person crafted a web of refuges astir the area, The Times report.

In June, New Zealand cops posted a £38,500 (NZ$80,000) reward for accusation astir the whereabouts of the missing dad and his 3 children.

Hundreds of equipped officers alongside choppers person truthful acold scoured the backcountry astir Marokopa.

Detective ­Inspector ­Andrew Saunders said: "There’s evidently not the golden ­nugget … of this is wherever helium is. We ­haven’t got that yet."

He added that Phillips was equipped and was a hazard to the assemblage who should not attack him.

He said: "We person concerns for the payment of the children who person been surviving successful isolation for the past 2 and a fractional years, with nary transportation to others and without ceremonial acquisition and healthcare."

Cat besides revealed that Philips showed aboriginal signs of being a "criminal".

“It should person been stopped a agelong clip ago, I can’t judge that this has been allowed to happen. It’s similar the strategy truly doesn’t care," she revealed.

"Regardless of what I person been saying, each measurement of the mode cipher listened to me, I was conscionable ignored, clip and clip again, minimised, gaslit and yet, look wherever we are."

TIMELINE OF HIS DISAPPEARANCE

In September 2021, the dada and his 3 kids vanished for the archetypal clip aft his motortruck was recovered abandoned astatine a beach.

When they appeared soon afterwards helium said they were connected a camping trip.

Phillips had been owed to look in court charged with wasting police resources but failed to bash so.

In January 2022 the dada and the 3 kids disappeared for the 2nd clip - ne'er to reappear again.

Phillips was spotted successful the farming town of Te Kuit past twelvemonth erstwhile helium robbed a slope astatine gunpoint earlier fleeing successful a stolen motorcycle alongside a child.

A period later, successful August, helium was seen speeding successful a stolen Toyota Hilux.

He was caught connected CCTV successful November with a child, trying to interruption into a store successful Piopio.

Earlier this period helium was reportedly seen successful Okoroire Hot Springs Hotel successful Ōtorohanga but helium managed to fly earlier constabulary arrived.

Concerns are increasing implicit the authorities of the 3 children who person not seen their mum since 2021.