Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
INVESTIGATES I’m scared killer dad will murder my girl and the authorities will only take notice when she’s dead
MUMS’ FEARS AS KIDS SENT TO VIOLENT EXES
MOST parents have had blazing rows with their child over unfinished homework... but not with such chilling consequences.
For one terrified mother, the argument ended when her daughter ran into the arms of her dad – a convicted killer.
Today the mum – who says she was raped and beaten by her ex – tells how she fears for her girl’s safety.
She tells the Sunday Mirror: “I’m scared he’ll murder her and the authorities will only take notice when she’s dead.
“My ex has taken everything from me and now he’s got my child.
“She has no idea what he is capable of, or how violent he is. I’ve tried to shelter her from everything.”
Her story comes as we reveal four more worrying cases as part of our Save Kids From Violent Parents campaign.
We have told how, over a 15-year period, 63 kids died after being placed in the care of parents who were known to be violent or abusive.
Shockingly, hundreds more children are thought to be living with parents who have a record of abuse. We are demanding law changes to prevent further tragedies.
The mum – who ended up in a refuge during her seven-year relationship – wept as she told of her ex’s 25-year record of violence.
The dad had tried in vain for access in 2012. He admitted manslaughter in 2014 but was released halfway through an eight-year term for killing a man. He has also done time for ABH and GBH.
The girl began chatting to her dad online after his release and earlier this year went to stay with him after the row with her mum over homework.
The dad then applied for residency and a judge allowed the girl to live with him while a report is prepared on her future.
Social workers have said they don’t think he is a risk to his daughter despite receiving police intelligence that he is at high risk of re-offending. But the mum told us: “I can’t eat or sleep, I just want my baby back. She’s my world. My relationship with him caused my breakdown but that’s being used against me in court.
“Why can’t they see my mental health problems went hand in hand with being abused?”
RIGHTS
Other mums tell how they had children placed in the care of violent men – even paedophiles. A legal blind spot means the offenders are not banned from being alone with their kids.
Current laws presume contact with both parents is in the best interests of a child. Human rights legislation also means parents are entitled to a family life.
In a second case, a paedophile dad was given a six-month suspended sentence three years ago for downloading images of 10-year-old girls, some involving rape.
His probation officer believes he is at risk of re-offending but social workers say he won’t target his own kids.
A judge awarded him residency of the
boys, aged five and six. Their mum said: “How can a judge let my kids live with a sex offender? I fear for my boys. I have nightmares.”
She lost custody following a suicide attempt after their dad’s arrest and now sees them just three times a month. Professionals noted she would physically shake in the presence of her ex.
The mum added: “The relationship was physically, emotionally and financially abusive and his arrest was the final straw. I felt sick knowing I’d had kids with someone who could do that. It’s why my mental health got worse.”
Social workers gave the boys to their gran, but three months later decided they should go to their dad. The gran said: “I was willing to take them in but I had to hand them over and it was absolutely terrible. If they are worried about my daughter’s mental health, wouldn’t the boys be better off with me than a convicted sex offender?”
The mum added: “Social services came to my house with him, which was a total slap in the face. The social worker said, ‘You’re not well enough to look after them so they’ll go to him’. I burst into tears. I said, ‘Why is this even possible? He’s got a conviction’. My ex was so smug.”
The woman went to the family courts but a judge found in favour of her ex after a social worker’s report. It read: “His conviction is concerning. However, he is not deemed a risk to his own children.”
The mum was accused of causing the boys “emotional harm” by opposing unsupervised contact with their dad. The accusation is repeatedly levelled at parents who raise the alarm about abusive exes. The dad is subject to a sexual offences prevention order until 2023. The orders are issued to people police fear will strike again.
The mum said: “I’m missing so much of them growing up. It’s awful. They cry so much when I have to hand them back.”
TERRIFIED
Parents with extensive violent records are also being granted overnight access to their children.
One man with two convictions for assaulting partners is allowed to have his seriously ill child stay every week.
The court ordered he should pick his six-year-old daughter up from home – meaning he now has her terrified mum’s address. And the woman, who lives in fear and claims he raped her, has been told she could be jailed if she doesn’t hand her child over.
She said: “It’s a living nightmare. What mum wants to hand their child to a violent man? My daughter has so many complex needs but he can’t look after her. It’s all about getting to me.”
Another mum fought in the family courts for years in a bid to prevent her violent ex accessing their terrified children without supervision.
A judge ruled he wasn’t allowed to see her two sons after a psychologist said he had “psychopathic” tendencies – but granted unsupervised access to their daughter, three.
The mum said: “He’s lost interest at the moment because it was always about getting to me, not my baby. But I worry every day he’ll try to see her. He tried to crash the car when I was pregnant. He’s capable of anything.”
Shadow Home Office minister Carolyn Harris will table an amendment to the domestic abuse bill in response to our nine-month probe.
The bill’s future was thrown into doubt following PM Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament. But sources say the Government is keen to carry it over to the new session. We have studied reams of documents and our crusade is backed by key charities.
Refuge chief executive Sandra Horley said: “We support the Sunday Mirror in shining a light on this issue. Refuge would like to see an end to the presumption that parental contact is always positive for children.”
Lucy Hadley, campaigns and public affairs manager at Women’s Aid, said: “Children are not effectively protected by the family justice system.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “A child’s welfare is the primary concern of family courts when making decisions about their upbringing.
“This government will do everything in its power to protect the vulnerable in our justice system, which is why we have recently completed an expert-led review to see how the family courts can better support victims and children.”
If you have been affected by domestic abuse and need support, visit refuge.org.uk