Boy to live with father because mother ignored contact orders

A court has ordered that a six-year-old boy should live with his father because the mother had constantly ignored contact orders over several years.

The two parents separated before the boy was born and the mother became the primary carer following the birth.

The father tried to establish contact with his son but the mother objected. The subsequent court proceedings lasted three years. The mother ignored several contact orders that would have allowed the father to see their son.

She twice changed her address without telling the father or the courts. She had to be traced and only attended a hearing when she was threatened with contempt proceedings.

The mother received numerous warnings that if she didn’t comply with the contact orders, her son might be sent to live with his father.

She could provide no reason for her reluctance to allow her son to see his father whose conduct had been unimpeachable during the proceedings.

The court made another contact order but again the mother refused to comply. The father then applied for a residence order.

The judge ruled that the son should live with the father and the mother would have visiting contact.

That ruling has now been upheld by the Court of Appeal.

Please contact Shelley Rolfe if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of family law.