Allegations of hit-men, abuse and animal cruelty. Still a court grants Father supervised visits

In a recent decision of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, a father has been granted monthly supervised visits with his three-year-old daughter with whom he was estranged.

The Mother and the Father (who have never been married and separated prior to the child’s birth) made a number of significant allegations against one another; including claims of domestic violence, animal cruelty and that the maternal grandmother had hired a hit-man to kill the former partner.

The Court had to balance the Mother’s claim of physical and psychological abuse inflicted upon the child by the Father, and the Father’s proposition that it was fundamental to the child’s sense of love and identity growing up that she have a relationship with him.

Following established family law principles, the Court ruled that despite the bizarre allegations made by both parties, it remained within the best interests of the child that there exists some parental involvement in her life by the Father.

If you or someone you know is seeking to reconnect with their child post-separation, call Rowan Skinner & Associates Lawyers (Accredited Family Law Specialists) today to discuss how we may be able to assist you in the process.

Sources:

Tranmere & Cleaver [2014] FCCA 1827 (15 August 2014)

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