Hunt on for dad who failed to bring son back to ex-wife

GARDAÍ are searching for a father who failed to return his 12-year-old son to the child’s mother after a scheduled visit, and has now disappeared with the boy.

Gardaí had already issued an adult caution to the man earlier this year after he wrote graffiti and erected signs around his ex-partner’s house in Co. Clare, and glued the lock on her home in a bid to intimidate her.

The mother and son live in Clare while the father lives on mainland Europe. At the family law court in Ennis yesterday, solicitor for the mother, Frank Doherty said the father had returned for a family law case in Ennis, and asked for access for his son on Wednesday.

However, the boy’s mother told gardaí that the father had not returned the boy to school yesterday morning, as arranged.

Mr Doherty said: ‘He is now gone with the child and he hasn’t contacted the boy’s mother or the gardaí to advise where the child is.’

The man was in Ireland to attend a family law hearing where his ex-wife was seeking a safety order against him. In court, Judge Patrick Durcan granted a three-year safety order for the woman after hearing that the man had written graffiti and erected signs in the woman’s locality.

Mr Doherty said that when the woman returned to her house in Co. Clare, and found her lock glued, she reported this to the gardaí.

Mr Doherty added: ‘The activities were admitted by the husband and an adult caution was given.’

The solicitor said the couple had previously lived together in their native country ‘and due to the violent relationship’, the woman left that country. Mr Doherty said that a similar safety order application had been granted to the woman there.