Fathers lose bid for equal custody rights after review of family law

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Only force can work now there is no other way everything has been tyred over and over again!

 

On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 10:55 AM, Richard FROMHOLC <richard.fromholc@total.com>wrote:

Wednesday, Nov 02 2011

Fathers lose bid for equal custody rights after review of family law  By Tim Shipman

David Norgrove's Family Justice Review has rejected calls to give fathers equal rights to share custody of their children

Fathers’ hopes of securing equal rights over their children will be dashed tomorrow when a review of family law is published.

Plans to give parents equal rights to share custody of their children in the event of a split have been rejected by the Family Justice Review, led by former civil servant and businessman David Norgrove.

In a further blow to fathers’ rights campaigners, the Norgrove Report will also reject calls to enshrine in law the principle that children should have a ‘meaningful relationship’ with both their mother and father.

Instead, it will simply say the courts should keep the idea of a meaningful relationship with an absentee father in mind when they make decisions about a child’s future.

The report was rejected as a ‘slap in the face for fathers’ last night and will undermine David Cameron’s claims that he would speak up for a strong family life.

Sources familiar with the report said Mr Norgrove had rejected statutory protection for men because it was likely to lead to lengthy legal battles to define a meaningful relationship. 

In his interim report earlier this year, Mr Norgrove concluded the state of the family courts was ‘shocking’ and that disputes take ‘far too long’ to resolve.

He also rejected plans for parents to share custody 50-50 after seeing  evidence that the system does not work in countries where it has operated such as Australia.

Mr Norgrove rejected calls to give the principle that children should have a 'meaningful relationship' with both parents a legal basis.

A senior government source said: ‘The panel found that shared custody on an equal footing led to lengthy delays in the courts which are not in the interests of the child.

‘They have also rejected the halfway house of statutory recognition for the need to maintain a meaningful relationship on the basis that the courts would spend ages deciding how to define a meaningful relationship.’

Nadine O’Connor, campaign co-ordinator for Fathers 4 Justice, said: ‘This whole exercise has been designed to appease women’s groups, not fathers.

‘The Tories promised a fundamental review of family law and said that  Norgrove was not good enough. But they’ve made a complete U-turn.

Woman admits biting off testicles

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/woman-admits-biting-off-testicles-155347045.html

Press Association – 2 hours 0 minutes ago
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Maria Topp has been warned she could be jailed after admitting biting off her boyfriend's …
A woman who admitted biting off her boyfriend's testicles has been warned she could be jailed.
Maria Topp, 44, from Wrekenton, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm at Newcastle Crown Court.
She bit Martin Douglas, her partner of five years, during a drunken brawl at his flat in February. She was granted bail to be sentenced next month and Recorder Robin Mairs warned her: "All options are open and that will include locking you up."
Topp, a mother of four with a blonde bob, bit Mr Douglas's testicles off at his flat in Waterloo Street, Newcastle, during the early hours of February 18. She cannot remember biting her partner, but can recall their fight, and the court accepted that violence had been used by both sides.
Caroline Goodwin, defending, told a previous hearing: "The defendant was on her back with the victim straddling her."
Mr Douglas was so traumatised by his injuries that emergency services staff struggled to understand him when he dialled 999. The 45-year-old DJ later required 19 stitches to his wound.
Topp denied grievous bodily harm with intent but admitted the lesser charge on the basis that there was violence used on both sides.
Gavin Doig, prosecuting, said: "This is a plea that has been considered in detail through the course of the day by the officer in the case, the CPS and particularly the injured party Martin Douglas. That is a plea that the prosecution have in the past rejected but today there has been a very important change of that basis.
"The injured party suffered a number of injuries, but particularly a very serious wound to the scrotum. The Crown's contention has always been that was caused by a bite. Until today the defence's contention was that was caused by her hands. The plea is on the basis she did indeed cause that injury with her teeth."
Recorder Mairs bailed her to allow for a probation report to be prepared and she will appear before him again on November 11 for sentence.

Reply from Scottish Government on Dedicated Minister for Older People

___

Our ref: 2011/1021247

24 October 2011

Dear Mr Deuchars

Thank you for your e-mail of 13 October to the Deputy First Minister, to various Scottish

Ministers and MSPs regarding a dedicated Minister for Older People.  I have been asked to

reply.

Nicola Sturgeon is Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing & Cities

Strategy and her current portfolio includes responsibility for matters relating to Older People

– she is the Minister for Older People. 

There are many aspects of the Scottish Government’s policies that benefit older people and

that commit us to substantial spending, including:

 the freeze on council tax, introduced first in 2008-09 and now frozen for the fourth

year running in 2011-12, which particularly benefits older people on fixed incomes;

 maintenance of existing eligibility for Free Personal and Nursing Care;

 our major work on Reshaping Care for Older People, which is looking at reshaping

care services for older people in the light of the demographic ageing of the

population; and the associated £70m a year Change Fund;

 maintenance of existing eligibility for the National Concessionary Bus Travel

Scheme (in 2008-09 older and disabled concessionary passengers made 156.7

million journeys); and

 our Energy Assistance Package launched in April 2009, which tackles all aspects

of fuel poverty;

More generally, All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population (March

2007) dealt fully and extensively with issues around the ageing of the population.  We have

implemented All Our Futures and are taking its principles forward in the development of our

policies.

Victoria Quay, Edinburgh  EH6 6QQ

www.scotland.gov.uk abcdefghij abcde abc a

Directorate  for Local Government and Third  Sector

Equality and Communities Division

T: 0131-244  F: 0131-244

E: david.hamilton5@scotland.gsi.gov.uk abcdefghijklmnopqrstu

Mr Jimmy Deuchars

Grandparents Apart UK

Email: margaret@grandparentsapart.co.uk

Family needs Fathers FnF

I was speaking to Ian Maxwell of FnF last week at a meeting in Edinburgh and I was very impressed with the guy.  I was one that slagged FnF for not doing too much in the last 30 odd years but Ian is very well aware of this and is determined to address it and I think he should be given that chance.

There are quite a few things we can work together on as we have a common aim. ”Bringing Families Together” Grandparents aim is to maintain contact with their grandchildren provided all is well. I have said it myself and I hear it all the time from grandparents. “I just want to know the kids are ok” and “I love to see the kids but I also love to see them go home again as long is everything is ok. We feel the parents should come first in a child’s lives and nobody should interfere with how they bring up their kids. Not even the government. It would be a great thing if grandparents and fathers and even mothers can all work together for the sake of the kids.

Grandparents Apart UK have a very good record on counselling grandparents and lots have them have gotten back into their grandchildren’s lives. It can work if everybody remembers it’s the kid’s interests that we are dealing with.

Let’s get behind Ian and help make a difference.

Jimmy Deuchars

Grandparents Apart UK

0141 882 5658

Kilmarnock meeting went well.

Grandparents! We sincerely ask you to come along to this very special meeting:-

Katrina had a very good meeting with our Kilmarnock group on Thursday and she was impressed. The idea is to seek ways of promoting what we do to improve and further our service. By looking at ways of mediation and making us more available. so please come along and show your interest.

On Tuesday 1st November 2011 in The Pearce Institute 840-860 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 3UU,   0141 445 6007 (Across the road from Govan Cross Subway) 7pm -9pm.

Research By Katrina Weir from About Families in Edinburgh University wants to know if Grandparents Apart UK has made a difference to you. Was their helpline available to you OK. Has your talk with Jimmy or Margaret helped you understand more?  Was the inquirer pack you were sent have enough information to give you a better understanding? If you cannot manage to come to the meeting send us an email to or note jimmd@sky.com to G.A.UK 22 Alness Crescent Glasgow G521PJ let research know how we helped you.

Dedicated Minister for Older People (Scotland)

We have a petition in the petitions committee waiting to go on line.for Scotland we are looking for support for it.

Organisations support for Dedicated Minister for Older People in England

http://www.greypride.org.uk/page/organisations