Practice Direction 12J, fact find hearings and child arrangements – E, F and G (Interim Child Arrangements) [2024] EWCA Civ 874 – Becket Chambers

‘E, F and G (Interim Child Arrangements) [2024] EWCA Civ 874 was a recent appeal brought by the Mother on 2 grounds; the first in respect of a child arrangements order made for unsupervised contact and the second regarding an adjournment due to a Qualified Legal Representative (‘QLR’) not being available for the fact find hearing. This article will focus on the first ground in respect of the child arrangements order.’

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Becket Chambers, 30th September 2024

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Soul Survivor: Independent Review Report – Law & Religion UK

‘The Outcome of the independent review into the culture and practices of Soul Survivor was published at 12pm on 26 September 2024, advance notice and contact details having been given for those who might have needed support.’

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Law & Religion UK, 26th September 2024

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Women fleeing rape face coercion and control by Home Office contractors – The Guardian

Posted September 3rd, 2024 in coercive & controlling behaviour, hotels, news, refugees, reports, voyeurism, women by tracey

‘Women who have fled rape, forced marriage and sexual exploitation are being subjected to coercion and control by Home Office contractors in hotels, according to new research.’

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The Guardian, 3rd September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘It’s not like you were beaten’: The horrifying misogyny vulnerable women face from the judge’s bench – The Independent

‘Domestic abuse survivors warn that – inside the secretive family courts – they are being ‘retraumatised’ by the legal system, and say judges are the worst offenders.’

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The Independent, 17th August 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘It’s not like you were beaten’: The horrifying misogyny vulnerable women face from the judge’s bench – The Independent

‘Domestic abuse survivors warn that – inside the secretive family courts – they are being “retraumatised” by the legal system, and say judges are the worst offenders.’

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The Independent, 16th August 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Family court judge rules on if twins exist – BBC News

‘A High Court judge has ruled that there is “some evidence” that at least one child was born in an exceptional family dispute between a separated couple. The ex-husband told the court that he believed his wife had been pregnant when they split up and that she had given birth to twin boys, who would now be three years old.’

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BBC News, 1st August 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

MI5 does not have to confirm abusive man was a spy – BBC News

‘The security service can continue to neither confirm nor deny whether a man who attacked his girlfriend with a machete was an MI5 agent, judges have ruled.’

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BBC News, 16th July 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Investigation finds that Russell Brand allegations were not ‘adequately addressed’ – The Independent

‘The allegations into Russell Brand’s behaviour while working on programmes for Channel 4 were not “adequately addressed”, an investigation has found.’

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The Independent, 15th June 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Contact in Domestic Abuse Cases – Becket Chambers

‘This short article focuses upon the Court of Appeal’s recent decision in the case of Re H (A Child: Domestic Abuse) 2024 EWCA Civ 326 in which it considered the father’s appeal against a child arrangements order under which he was to have no face to face contact with his 3 year old son for an indefinite period of time.’

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Becket Chambers, 7th May 2024

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Police lacked understanding in abuse case – coroner – BBC News

‘Police showed a “lack of understanding” of controlling and coercive behaviour in the case of a woman who was unlawfully killed, a coroner said.
Mother-of-three Kellie Sutton, 30, was found unconscious at the home she shared with abusive partner Steven Gane in Welwyn Garden City on 23 August 2017.
In a prevention of future deaths report, external, assistant coroner Samantha Broadfoot KC said there was also “a lack of awareness of the link between domestic abuse and suicide”.’

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BBC News, 14th May 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Contact arrangements where there’s a history of coercive control – Transparency Project

Posted February 29th, 2024 in coercive & controlling behaviour, contact orders, news by sally

‘This is a contact dispute in respect of a five year old that’s been going on for more than two years. At this hearing, both the mother and father were represented by barristers and there was a bundle of documents of more than 360 pages. The same judge, DJ Sophie Harrison, had conducted a fact-finding hearing in December 2022. The child lives with the mother, and the father was applying for increased contact – he was seeing the child regularly with supported, but not supervised, contact at a centre. At a hearing in June 2023, this contact was varied to extend to some unsupervised contact “in the community”.’

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Transparency Project, 27th February 2024

Source: transparencyproject.org.uk

Judge criticises regular misunderstanding of Lady Hale’s “nothing else will do” adoption comment – Local Government Lawyer

‘It appears there is a regular misunderstanding or misapplication of the words of Lady Hale in the Supreme Court case of Re B that in relation to the test for adoption, “nothing else will do”, a Family Court judge has warned.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th February 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Police failed to investigate officer abuse complaints, say women – BBC News

‘Seven women are accusing Devon and Cornwall Police of failing to investigate serving and former officers for domestic abuse and sexual violence.’

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BBC News, 12th February 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court of Appeal moves to reaffirm “wide and flexible powers” of family court in care case – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed a Guardian’s appeal against a family judge’s conclusion that she did not have jurisdiction to grant an injunction.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 12th January 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Most victims of domestic homicide have contacted police or NHS, review shows – The Guardian

‘A review of 302 domestic homicides recorded in a four-year period has found that the majority of those killed had been “hiding in plain sight”, having made contact with the police, health services and other public agencies before their death.’

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The Guardian, 6th December 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘You were told’: Killed Women report shows deaths could have been prevented – The Guardian

‘Two-thirds of 115 bereaved families surveyed by Ipsos thought the fatal attack on their loved one had been very or fairly preventable.’

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The Guardian, 5th December 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Domestic abuse: Stalker to be released despite being ruled unsafe – BBC News

Posted November 23rd, 2023 in coercive & controlling behaviour, domestic violence, news, parole, stalking by sally

‘A stalker who held his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint will be released from prison in February despite a parole board panel finding he was not safe to live in the community.’

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BBC News, 22nd November 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sentencing non-fatal strangulation and suffocation – R v Cook and recent updates from the Court of Appeal – Park Square Barristers

‘Introduced as part of the Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2021 and enshrined in law by s75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015, the offences of non-fatal suffocation and strangulation are increasingly being charged alongside other more common offences against the person as well as offences such as controlling and coercive behaviour.’

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Park Square Barristers, 10th October 2023

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

Ex-police officer who abused 200 girls via Snapchat jailed for life – The Guardian

‘A predatory paedophile who incited more than 200 girls as young as 10 to send him explicit images and videos of themselves while he was a serving police officer has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years.’

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The Guardian, 25th October 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Woman raped by ex-partner left traumatised by English family courts – The Guardian

‘A woman who was raped by her former partner has told how her fight for justice in the family courts left her traumatised.’

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The Guardian, 21st October 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com