A High Court judge says he has analysed evidence from the parents of a little boy who hit the headlines after vanishing with his mother for nine months.

Ellie Yarrow-Sanders, from Basildon, disappeared with Olly Sheridan in July 2018 when in the middle of a family court dispute relating to the care of the boy with ex-partner Patrick Sheridan.

They were found safe and well in March.

Mr Justice Williams said on Friday that he had now analysed evidence from Ms Yarrow-Sanders, who is in her 20s, and Mr Sheridan, who is in his 40s, at a private hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

The judge said no detail of anything aired at the hearing could be revealed.

But he said it was right that the public should be given an update and told that a hearing had been staged and evidence analysed.

The judge gave an update following an application from journalists who said people would wonder what had happened since Olly and his mother were found.

He said Miss Yarrow-Sanders, Mr Sheridan and Olly had been represented by lawyers at the hearing and he said journalists had been allowed to attend.

The initial family court litigation had been staged in private and journalists had been barred from identifying Olly in any reports.

Mr Justice Williams lifted that identity bar after Olly vanished.

He had first made a public appeal for help in December, when Olly was three.

In February, he used Twitter to send Miss Yarrow-Sanders a come home plea.

His plea was delivered in a tweet posted on the Judicial Office Twitter account using the hashtag #comehomeolly.

Lawyers said it was the first time a judge made such use of Twitter.

Olly and his mother were found safe and well weeks later.