Father Jailed for Bashing Partner Granted Access to Daughter
A father who bashed his partner and held a samurai sword to their daughter’s throat was still allowed weekly access to the child because a Family Court judge believed the terrifying domestic violence case did not constitute a ”change in the family dynamic”.
The mother was reprimanded by the judge and convicted for 20 breaches of parenting orders for refusing to bring her seven-year-old girl to the weekly visits because she feared for their safety.
The five-year-long custody dispute has tested the judicial system’s understanding of the impact of domestic violence and has elicited a unprecedented mea culpa from a veteran psychologist, who admitted he made a gross misjudgment by not believing the mother’s allegations.
The couple, given the pseudonyms Ms Tindall and Mr Saldo, have been bitterly fighting over parenting orders since their relationship ended in 2008.
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