missingparent.co.uk
Making the Public Aware of the Dangers and Incompetency's of the Secret Family Courts
The secrecy rule in the U.K. Family Courts is destructive to parents and children. Appalling miscarriages of justice occur, usually with the father losing contact with his child/children. Both the father and child become victims of a system that is supposed to protect and uphold the "Rights of the Child" yet fails miserably.
As a father who is victim to the system and my daughter also victim to such an appalling draconian legal practice. I have published the facts of my case for all to see. I have not given my name or my daughters as this would be illegal under the present secrecy policy. I would like to name the Judge as the secrecy law was not intended to protect him. I have not libeled him as everything I state is true. Yet if I do name him I will be imprisoned which would serve no purpose as my custody would again be in secret. Why should a parent be so restricted that under the present law if a parent was to disclose a single fact about there case to anyone (including their own extended family) they will be imprisoned. Yes, imprisoned for telling the truth in a so called civilized society in 21st century.
The present system allows me to make application to the Court of Appeal and that is the path our previous Prime Minister, G Brown felt is adequate. I have spent all my savings and sold my house. How on earth is this a course of action available to anyone other than the rich.
If you are a father who has suffered unfairly in the family courts please add your support and send your case details for publishing on this site, your name will be withheld but the Judge should be named and shamed . Only public awareness, putting pressure on the government will change this system.
If you have not had any dealings with the family court you may not be aware that the courts are held in secret and it is a custodial sentence if anyone is found to disclose what goes on in a case. The reason they give is to protect the child. I believe that the cases can be published and heard in open court without disclosing the identity of the child/children. The present system allows the Judges to be unaccountable and play God with children and fathers lives.
Look at this common scenario. Father works. Mother is stay at home mother or on a income less than £23,000 p.a.
Mother decides to leave her husband and take the child. There are many different reasons, so for this scenario lets just say she was suffering pre-menstrual tension and became possessive of an infant
The husband goes to a solicitor for help. Before the solicitor does anything he/she wants a payment. If the father would have been entitled to Legal Aid he has just forfeited this entitlement by breaking the rule which states "No money must be paid to the solicitor". Yet not knowing this he fills in the application form and the means test forms.
The solicitor applies to the court for the mothers whereabouts to be disclosed through the D.W.P. records.
A court hearing is applied for and the date of this hearing will always be before the Legal Aid department have made a decision as to funding the father. Again the father must pay for the preparation of papers and unless confident and familiar with the courts will also need representation in court. More money to pay out, again breaking the rules for Legal Aid funding.
The mother applied for benefits after leaving the husband. Jobseekers Allowance, Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, etc. The total of these would be equivalent to being on a salary of £23,000. Being in receipt of benefits the mother is automatically entitled to public funding through the Legal Aid scheme. The mother now has no financial restrictions and under advice from her solicitor can now make false allegations about her husband causing him more costs in defending these. This will drain him financially so that he is at a disadvantage in the proceedings to have contact with his child.
If the father is not paying to support the child he will now get a demand from the C.S.A.
The father runs out of money as he has paid out for numerous hearings where he was represented at £1500 a time for a barrister, plus ongoing solicitors fees, probably in the region of £20,000 and has to stop using solicitors and barristers, becoming a LIP, litigant in person.
The mother can make up any stories and her solicitor will twist every bit of information since the day the father was born in assassinating his character. The father will have to stand in the dock while the mothers barrister, who is the most expensive available as the public are paying the bill, misleads the Judge into believing the man is not a good father and therefore there is no reason why he should ever have contact with his child.
As the father is LIP he has no-one is cross examine him and bring out the truth. Where is the justice in this one sided event??
The Judge makes an order that no contact shall take place between father and child.
The irony is that the mother can now meet and have a relationship with any unsavory character and introduce him to the child. This person has not been vetted by CAFCASS, the Court or Social Services yet has taken over the role of father.
I am not a charity, all costs for this site are born by myself as a tribute to my daughter.
Who I am refused contact by the Court but think about daily.
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Secret family courts, Kimberly Benjamin-Sage. David Sage. David Benjamin-Sage, family court
Kimberly Benjamin-Sage, your father is registered, David Sage, Kirsty Thornton, your father is registered, Mike Thornton