The parents had what was described in court as a “tumultuous relationship”. They had left their daughter with her maternal grandmother when she was one and a half years old.
They later took her back but the authorities became concerned that they weren’t providing her with adequate care.
Proceedings began and during a fact-finding hearing it was found that the mother was “volatile, unpredictable and confrontational”. She had also made several allegations that the father had been violent towards her. She had often called for police assistance but then withdrew the allegations.
The father denied that he had been violent.
The hearing found that the mother had failed to provide her daughter with safe and stable accommodation.
The local authority invited the judge to make a special guardianship order placing the girl with the grandmother.
Both parents opposed this as they wanted to look after their daughter themselves.
However, the judge found that she was unable to believe anything the mother said and she was also scathing about the father.
The court granted a special guardianship order in favour of the grandmother. It also made an order preventing any further applications by the parents for two years and four months.
The parents took the case to the Court of Appeal but that has upheld the judge’s decision.
Please our Family team if you would like more information about family law issues.
