The man who believed he had seen the runaway Bramley family on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has been targeted by hate mail.

The Rev Jack Cooper who claimed to have seen the Bramley family on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Ticket collector Jack Cooper has received a series of letters criticising his actions in reporting that he had seen Jeff and Jennifer Bramley, and their foster daughters, Jade and Hannah Bennett, on the Grosmont to Pickering steam train on January 2.

But it was revealed today that the family were never on the train - or anywhere else in North Yorkshire over the Christmas and New Year period, despite more than 60 reported sightings.

As the couple made a High Court bid today to win temporary custody of the girls, they issued a statement indicating they had spent their time on the run in Ireland.

"We have not been living a nomadic, fugitive lifestyle," said the Bramleys, who flew back to Britain from Ireland at the weekend.

"The children feel they have just had an exciting and enjoyable holiday in Ireland. All the sightings in England were mistakes of identity."

The couple are thought to have driven from their Cambridgeshire home to York last September as social workers were preparing to remove the young girls, who had been fostered by the Bramleys since March.

They then abandoned the vehicle in the city to leave a false trail, before heading to the Republic of Ireland, where they stayed in a caravan hideout in remote Co Kerry. The caravan was owned by local man John Deady, who recalled the Bramleys as being a "nice, respectable couple."

The Bramleys were expected to ask Mrs Justice Hogg this afternoon to allow them to continue caring for Jade, five, and her three-year-old sister, Hannah, until a court considers their adoption case.

Legal experts predicted that the Bramleys will be granted temporary custody at the secret hearing after Cambridgeshire social services indicated that it will not object - although it is still expected to oppose the adoption.

The couple may still face criminal charges, possibly charges of abduction, according to police who will shortly submit a file to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Pickering became the centre of national attention after the Reverend Cooper, a retired vicar from Whitby who works as a volunteer on the steam railway, said he was convinced he had seen them on the train. He said the children on the train had been badly behaved and disobedient, and "Mrs Bramley" appeared unwell and anorexic. Later CCTV video evidence was released by police, appearing to show the family in the town.

Now a crank letter writer, claiming to know the Bramleys, has branded the ticket collector "the most unpopular person in Peterborough". Another letter read: "So you think you're clever contacting the police about seeing the Bramleys?"

The letters are being investigated by police in Cambridgeshire, who stressed that they were not aware of any threats being made.

Mr Cooper said: "I am relieved for the family, as well as from a personal view. I never expected such attention after reporting my sighting to the police, and I certainly didn't expect these letters. I am glad it is over.

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