THE distraught wife of a York man who escaped from jail and snatched their young son today begged: "I just want my little boy back."

Soraya Gaskin marked the tenth week of her son Karl-Tyler's disappearance by making the emotional plea.

On-the-run Karl Gaskin, who has links with the York travelling community, escaped from an open prison and snatched the ten-year-old boy on Christmas Day.

He was serving five years for two violent offences, including a vicious baseball bat beating outside a York nightclub.

He and another man had been acquitted of attempted murder in 2001 after a shooting at the James Street travellers' site in York.

Despite a widespread police search, Gaskin and his son have still not been found.

Recalling the ordeal she has suffered since her son was snatched, Mrs Gaskin said: "It's devastating. It's like part of me has been taken away and someone else is pulling the strings. It's ripping everybody apart."

She added: "My little boy is part of me, he's not a bargaining chip. I think all this just shows how evil and vindictive Karl is."

Her runaway husband barged into her home in Bourne, Lincolnshire, at 6pm on Christmas Day as Karl-Tyler and Mrs Gaskin's daughter were playing with their new toys.

Mrs Gaskin recalled: "He pushed me on to the settee and grabbed Karl-Tyler, who was saying: 'Leave me alone, I want my mum'."

She said the whole incident had seemed to happen in slow motion.

Mrs Gaskin maintains that her husband always had access to their two children who had visited him regularly in jail.

She revealed the loss of Karl-Tyler had hit her eight-year-old daughter hard. "She prays for him every day, she says: 'Please God, let my brother come home'."

Mrs Gaskin has spoken to Karl-Tyler on the phone at least four times and police do not believe he is in any physical danger. However, she raised concerns about her son's emotional state and said he was missing time at school.

In a direct appeal to Gaskin, she said: "If you're reading this, I just want you to put an end to it all. I just want my special boy back and to feel him in my arms."

Inspector Dick Holmes, of Lincolnshire Police, said reports had been received of Gaskin in the Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire areas.

He would not be surprised if Gaskin had visited York at some stage since his escape.

"As a member of the travelling community, Gaskin has the option of moving on fairly quickly. We understand this community is tight-knit and they do not want to turn in one of their own, but our main concern is for the welfare of Karl-Tyler.

"The situation can't last for ever and the sooner it is resolved the better."

Updated: 10:27 Friday, March 05, 2004