Mother whose abusive ex-partner broke her hand leads campaign to change law over access to children
When “Michelle’s” ex-partner broke her hand – she knew enough was enough.
A line had been crossed. The abuse was emotional, coercive, and now physical. Her, and their child’s safety, was now compromised.
Fearful, Michelle – not her real name – decided that any father-child contact should be supervised.
Sky News correspondent Sabah Choudhry speaks to “Michelle”
Michelle’s ex-partner, however, wanted unsupervised contact with their child. He pushed back – and what followed was four years of court proceedings.
Michelle, and other campaigners like her, are calling on the government to end the presumption of contact between parents and their children.
On Monday, they will present a report to the government with recommendations to change the law.
Their main demand? To make parental contact earned – and not simply handed to abusers.
Currently, under British law, there is no blanket ban on an abusive adult having contact with their children.
According to the Children Act of 1989, there is a presumption of contact between parent and child when adults separate – to benefit the child.
However, according to Michelle, this isn’t always the case.
“The court system,” she told Sky News, “was as abusive as my ex-partner. It had an agenda to promote unsupervised contact at any cost, despite my medical and police evidence [of harm].”
“It felt to me, I was living in Victorian times, that my child belonged to my partner, and that I had to do what he wanted.
“It’s a very misogynistic system… that it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are – children will always have contact with their fathers.
“But it shouldn’t be at any cost…”
‘No parent is better than an abusive parent’
Dr Charlotte Proudman is leading the campaign.
Dr Charlotte Proudman, the barrister and founder of Right to Equality, is leading the campaign
The barrister and founder of the non-profit organisation Right to Equality told Sky News: “In my view, no parent is better than an abusive parent.
“Even if a parent is a rapist, a child sex offender, has been abusive, there is a presumption that they should have regular contact with their child, which can mean, in some instances, that a child is having unsafe contact with a dangerous parent.
“To argue against that can cost huge amounts of money and take a significant amount of time, even years.”
‘I shouldn’t be the exception… this should be standard’
This is something Conservative MP Kate Kniveton knows too well.
Conservative MP Kate Kniveton won a landmark case against her former partner
She told Sky News that she suffered 10 years of abuse from her ex-husband – a former MP.
The family court made findings of rape and sexual abuse, which he denies.
Ms Kniverton won a landmark case against her former partner, which now means he is barred from direct contact with their child.
Therefore, she supports the recommendations to change the law, in order to protect both women and children.
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She said: “The result we got with my child was great… my child is protected.
“But I shouldn’t be the exception…This should be standard in so many cases.
“You hear that contact has been ordered even with the most abuse of power.
“It is so important that the government listen to this and they overturn that presumption to protect children.”
As of Friday, the government announced that paedophile rapists will have their rights to contact their own children automatically removed.
But this current campaign wants an end to the assumption that parents can contact their children even when they are guilty of domestic abuse, sexual abuse or child abuse.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told Sky News: “Children’s safety is absolutely paramount and judges already have extensive powers to block parental involvement where there is a risk to the child.
“We are continuing to review the approach to parental access to make sure all children are kept from harm.”
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.
The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.
Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA
Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.
The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.
Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.
Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA
Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.
Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.
Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.
Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.
As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.
Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.
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