AH v DT [2017] EWHC 36 (Fam)

27 January 2017

Judges: Richard Scarratt, Andrew Baker

Family Law Hub: “Mother was ordered to bring the child back to Kent from Northern Ireland so that the father, whom she alleged had abused their daughter, could have contact.”

[2017] EWFC B24

22 March 2017

Judge: Liza Gordon-Saker

Expert: Darren Spooner

Family Law Hub

Stowe Family Law

Transparency Project

Analysed by Adrienne Barnett of Brunel University in “A genealogy of hostility: parental alienation in England and Wales (2020).

Highlighted as a typical parental alienation case in a House of Commons Research Briefing on Parental Alienation, published on 10 February 2020.

Judge agreed with Darren Spooner’s recommendation that the Family Separation Clinic (Karen Woodall and Nick Woodall) be consulted following the transfer of residence from mother to father.

[2017] EWCA Civ 154

30 March 2017

Lady Justice Black, Lord Justice Flaux, Sir Timothy Lloyd

Barrister: Matthew Richardson of Coram Chambers acting pro bono

Samantha Baldwin case

April 2017

No judgements to be found on Bailii…

Judge: Jeremy Lea

[2017] EWFC 23

11 April 2017

Judge: Alison Russell

Not “parental alienation”, but “alienated” is mentioned. Appears well balanced and argued. Leads to [2018] EWHC 693 (Fam), where Russell was highly critical of the Anna Freud Centre and refused to order a transfer of residence from England to Sweden.

[2017] EWFC B28

11 May 2017

Judge: Simon Wood

Newcastle. Barring order against the father, who was obsessed with parental alienation via his involvement with Families need Fathers. He wanted to have Sue Whitcombe as an expert.

[2017] EWFC B35 Q v R (intractable contact)

28 June 2017

Judge: Joanna Vincent

Child and adolescent psychiatrist: Dr Peter Misch

Parental alienation and intractable contact disputes – when all seems lost, Stacey Nevin, Kingsley Napley Solicitors, 22 January 2018 (originally published in Family Law Week)

Note: Charlotte Bradbury of Kingsley Napley is in the Family Solutions Group that produced the What About Me? report.

Note: Joanna Vincent used Peter Misch again in 2021 in [2021] EWFC B54.

“In September 2007 the father violently assaulted the mother by punching her in the face, knocking teeth out and necessitating plastic surgery. He was subsequently convicted of ABH and given a suspended jail sentence.”

“The boys’ wishes and feelings are in my judgement based on a false belief system fostered and encouraged by their mother.”

Although Vincent found the mother to be an alienator, she declined to make an order for contact.

[2017] EWFC 39

30 June 2017

Judge: Stephen Cobb

[2017] EWHC 2033

1 August 2017

Judge: Jonathan Baker

Justice Baker rejected the father’s appeal against Robin Tolson’s earlier ruling that the mother was not alienating the father from the daughter and that the father was in fact the author of his own misfortune through his obsessive and inflexible attitude.

Lancashire CC v Z (Parental Hostility) [2017] EWFC B71

24 August 2017

Judge: James Ross Duggan

Location: Leyland

The case raised the question of whether it is permissible for one parent to covertly record another parent, and whether such evidence is admissible in court or could even be used against the parent who makes the recording.

[2017] EWHC 2387 (Fam)

1 September 2017

Judge: Jonathan Baker

Expert: Sue Whitcombe

Re E-R (a child) [2015] EWCA Civ 405

Judges: Lord Justice John Laws and Lady Justice Eleanor King

The mother had died of cancer.  The mother’s friends, Mr and Mrs H were caring for the 5 year old girl. The father had applied for a transfer of residence to him, which was granted by circuit judge Nicholas Vincent. Mrs H’s appeal against the transfer of residence was allowed.

Re E-R (Child Arrangements) [2016] EWHC 805 (Fam)

Judge: Stephen Cobb

Mother died of cancer. 5 year old daughter went to live with Mr and Mrs H, mother’s family friends. Father made endless unfounded allegations against them and demanded a transfer of residence. Cobb dismissed the father’s application for a transfer of residence and ordered him to pay £10,000 costs to Mr and Mrs H.

Re E-R (Child Arrangements Order No. 2) [2017]  EWHC 2382 (Fam)

Judge: Stephen Cobb

Father accused the mother’s friends of alienating his daughter from him.

Re E-R (Child Arrangements Order No.2: Costs) [2017] EWHC 2535 (Fam)

Judge: Stephen Cobb

The costs of unreasonable conduct in children cases, Stowe Family Law, 2017

[2017] EWCA Civ 1551

12 October 2017

Judges: Jill Black, Philip Sales, David Richards

Expert: Mark Berelowitz

Family Law Week

18 October 2017

[2017] EWCA Civ 1579

Stuart Graham acted as a McKenzie friend for an “alienated” father in a case which focused on the use of covert recordings.

Judges: James Munby, Eleanor King

This was an appeal of [2016] EWCA Civ 1088 (Eleanor King), which in turn was an appeal against a judgment by Clifford Bellamy.