Fresh evidence gives father new hope for contact with his son
A father who has been prevented from seeing his 12-year-old son has been allowed to seek a fresh investigation into the case after new evidence from a doctor and child welfare officer became available.
The father had previously accepted that the boy should live with his mother but applied to the court for a contact order. A report by CAFCASS, the service that looks after the welfare of children in court proceedings, said the boy was opposed to having contact with his father.
The father submitted that the boy’s hostility was due to the mother’s influence.
The judge declined to grant the order on the basis that the mother agreed to promote contact voluntarily. He then made an order preventing the father from making a new application for a specified period.
Despite the voluntary arrangement, the relationship between the two parents deteriorated and the mother alleged that the father had broken an agreement that he would not see their son without her prior knowledge.
This meant the father could not see his son and was also prevented from making a fresh application for contact because of the prohibition order.
He then took the case to the Court of Appeal saying fresh evidence had emerged which could help his case. This included reports by a doctor and a CAFCASS officer which showed the father in a more positive light. The
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July 2010
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