THE FATHER-OF-SEVEN who ran away with a 16-year-old Hampshire schoolgirl was fined by magistrates yesterday for taking his employer's car to disappear with her to Cornwall.

Andrew Long, 43, vanished for more than a week with his daughter's best friend, Rachel New, before police found the Southampton pair last weekend at a hotel in St Austell.

He took a vehicle belonging to car-hire firm Europcar in Southampton, for whom he used to work, because his own car had no MoT and the teenager wanted to go to Cornwall quickly, Southampton magistrates heard.

Long, of Acacia Road, Merry Oak, admitted taking a vehicle without consent and was fined £120 and ordered to pay £55 costs.

Rachel had not been seen since skipping her French GCSE exam at Sholing Girls' School on Wednesday, June 6.

Her parents, Tracey and Stephen New, of Barry Road, Bitterne, had appealed for her return, and the police search switched to Cornwall after she sent a letter home with a Truro postmark.

Both the teenager and Long stated they were deeply in love.

Sital Mond, prosecuting, said the branch manager of Europcar reported a vehicle missing after receiving a phone call about its whereabouts.

She said: "The police made inquiries and he was subsequently arrested.

"He was interviewed and admitted taking the vehicle.

"The defendant said he had needed to get to Cornwall but his car had no MoT and his girlfriend wanted to go quickly.

"He told police he had taken it fully intending to return it in Truro and had no idea of wanting to keep the vehicle."

Bob Booker, mitigating, said the car was returned undamaged and Long had voluntarily admitted the offence.

"The incident resulted from an emotional time between my client and his young girlfriend."

He added: "The action was very much out of character and he had a good working record."

He said Long lost his job as a result of the incident and media attention and was currently out of work.

"He says this will not happen again," Mr Booker added.