Ellie Butler judge ‘took unwarranted steps’ to reunite her with violent parents – The Guardian

‘A senior judge in the family court took “unwarranted” extra steps in reuniting a man with a violent and criminal past with his young daughter 11 months before he beat her to death, the author of a serious case review has said.’

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The Guardian, 22nd June 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judge rules on Madonna custody dispute – BBC News

‘Madonna has been granted permission to end the British legal action over the custody of her 15-year-old son, Rocco.’

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BBC News, 21st March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Father of Poppi Worthington given £117,000 legal aid for custody battle over her siblings – Daily Telegraph

‘Paul Worthington awarded £87,318 for counsel payments and £29,450 for solicitors’ fees to fight against the proceedings.’

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Daily Telegraph, 28th February 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Paedophile awarded legal aid in fight to see son, eight – Daily Telegraph

‘Convicted sex criminal, named only as ‘Q’, was given taxpayer funding on human rights grounds to fight lack of contact with son.’

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Daily Telegraph, 1st February 2016

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Estranged lesbian couple’s fight over child goes to supreme court – The Guardian

‘The question of whether a seven-year-old girl, caught up in an international dispute between her estranged lesbian mothers, should be subject to British justice is to be decided by the supreme court.’

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The Guardian, 8th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Families travelling to join Isis should be allowed to keep custody of their children, says judge – The Independent

Posted July 31st, 2015 in children, custody, electronic monitoring, judges, news, terrorism by sally

‘Families suspected of attempting to travel overseas to join Isis should be allowed to keep custody of their children – as long as the parents wear electronic tags, a High Court judge has ruled.’

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The Independent, 31st July 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Judge sends six-year-old boy to live with mother’s killer’s family – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 16th, 2015 in custody, grandparents, news, residence orders by sally

‘Sending boy whose father murdered his mother to live with maternal grandparents in China could add to his trauma despite their ‘primal link’, Family Court rules.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th June 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Rebecca Minnock: Grandmother jailed over missing mum lies – BBC News

Posted June 15th, 2015 in child abduction, contempt of court, custody, news, sentencing by sally

‘A grandmother has been sentenced to 10 days in prison for lying in court about the disappearance of her daughter and three-year-old grandson.’

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BBC News, 12th June 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Mother and son missing after custody ruling in Bristol – The Guardian

‘Judge takes exceptional step of lifting reporting restrictions to help find Rebecca and Ethan Minnock and reunite three-year-old with his father.’

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The Guardian, 9th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Time for a Regulated Process for Surrogate Parents? – Family Law Week

Posted May 13th, 2015 in custody, families, news, regulations, surrogacy by tracey

‘Natalie Gamble, solicitor, of Natalie Gamble Associates and Elizabeth Isaacs QC of St Ives Chambers consider the significance of H v S (Surrogacy Agreement) in which Ms Justice Russell awarded care of a surrogate child to a gay couple.’

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Family Law Week, 12th May 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Lithuanian MPs petition Lords Speaker over child custody case – The Guardian

‘A delegation of Lithuanian MPs has written to the House of Lords complaining about the removal of a 12-year-old girl from her mother, alleging that she is being deprived of her cultural inheritance. The letter, sent to the Speaker of the House of Lords, Lady D’Souza, is the second high-profile intervention by a Baltic state in UK care proceedings this year and reflects a growing rift between EU states over practices in custody proceedings.’

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The Guardian, 12th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Baby girl removed from ‘homophobic’ biological mother after court battle – The Independent

‘A High Court Judge has ruled that a baby girl conceived through surrogacy should be placed with her father and his partner after her biological mother was deemed “homophobic”.’

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The Independent, 6th May 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Private Children Law Update – No. 5 Chambers

Posted April 29th, 2015 in appeals, children, custody, domestic violence, families, news by sally

‘Ricky Seal, member of No5 Chambers Family Group, has compiled a list of private children case law updates for the Leicester & Leicestershire Family Justice Board.’

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No. 5 Chambers, 9th April 2015

Source: www.no5.com

Court of Protection Issues – Thirty Nine Essex Street

‘This paper provides an overview of the procedure which has been put in place to implement the streamlined process by which the Court of Protection may authorise deprivations of liberty following the Supreme Court decision in P v Cheshire West and Chester Council and P and Q v Surrey County Council [2014] UKSC 19.’

Full story (PDF)

Thirty Nine Essex Street, February 2015

Source: www.39essex.com

Removal of clothing by police and Article 8 ECHR – Court of Appeal expresses sympathy for vulnerable position of children in custody – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Court of Appeal has considered the compatibility with Article 8 ECHR of the police’s removal of a 14 year old girl’s clothing after she had been arrested and taken to a police station.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 9th March 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Lawyers, Social Workers and the Proportionality Test – Family Law Week

‘David Bedingfield, barrister of 4 Paper Buildings, considers the President’s judgment in A (A Child) [2015] EWFC 11 and the lessons to be derived by practitioners.’

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Family Law Week, 9th March 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

MPs ‘dismayed’ that police continue to compile database of faces – The Guardian

‘A committee of MPs has condemned police for continuing to upload custody photographs, including of people never charged, to a face recognition database, despite a high court judgement that ruled the practice was unlawful.’

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The Guardian, 7th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

President of Family Division inveighs against social engineering in adoption proceedings – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 25th, 2015 in adoption, care orders, children, custody, drug abuse, families, family courts, human rights, news by sally

‘In a scathing judgment, the president of the Family Division has condemned as “social engineering” a local authority’s application to remove a baby boy permanently from the care of his father and place him for adoption.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 25th February 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

In re M and others (Children) (Abduction: Child’s Objections) – WLR Daily

In re M and others (Children) (Abduction: Child’s Objections) [2015] EWCA Civ 26; [2015] WLR (D) 44

‘Where a court was determining, for the purposes of article 13 of the Hague Convention 1980, whether a child objected to being returned and had attained the age and degree of maturity at which it was appropriate to take account of its views, the use of sub-tests and technicality were to be avoided.’

WLR Daily, 27th January 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

“Nowadays not all law can be simple law; but the best law remains simple law” – Family Law Week

Posted February 11th, 2015 in appeals, child abduction, children, consent, custody, families, joinder, litigation friends, news by sally

‘Christopher Hames and Dorothea Gartland, of 4 Paper Buildings, & Nina Hansen, a partner of Freemans Solicitors, consider the important Court of Appeal judgment in Re M (Republic of Ireland) (Children’s Objection) (Joinder of Children as Parties).’

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Family Law Week, 4th February 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk