Man wins bid to cancel out his adoption

A GOLD Coast man forced to sign adoption papers as a boy has finally won court approval to reverse the life-changing decision.

The man, who cannot be identified, sought court orders to discharge his adoption from 1974 on the basis he was forced by his mother to take the name of his new stepfather who then abused him.

The Supreme Court in Brisbane was told the man’s life changed when his parents split up and his mother remarried when he was nine years old and demanded all her children use their new name at school.

As one of four boys, the man told the court he was told to never mention his birth father’s name and his mother also made him write to his birth father to say he did not want to ever see him again.

Once he turned 12, his mother then took him to the Department of Children Services office in Southport where he was told to sign consent forms to enable the adoption by the new stepfather in 1974.

The man told the court he signed the papers, which was legal at the time by a 12-yearold, forever changing his surname and parentage.

He said he had no idea of

stepfather’s the implications at the time and his stepfather had taunted him over the issue since.

As the eldest of his siblings he then endured the brunt of “horrific mental and physical abuse” at the hands of his stepfather and mother, which was described as so severe it led to mental health problems and an inability to now work.

The court noted it was an important step of his recovery to finally reverse the adoption with a finding he signed under duress, without full capacity.

Justice Roslyn Atkinson found the case clearly met the strict criteria to discharge the adoption which will have an impact on the man’s siblings, natural and adoptive parents.