Child abduction case can have happy ending

Commenting on the case of a Manchester mother, Debbie Walker who has been forced to return to Australia with her baby son, Liam, after the authorities there accused her of ‘abducting’ him from his father, Louise Halford, a Partner at Manchester law firm, Pannone and an expert in ‘cross border’ family disputes said, “This is a very distressing case which needs to be resolved as soon as possible for all concerned but it may still have a happy ending for the mother.”

Liam’s father has reportedly utilised the Hague Convention to get his son returned. The Convention was set up to ensure the swift return of children who have been wrongfully taken from their country of residence. Said Ms Halford, “It may seem harsh in this instance that a mother has been accused of abducting her own son, but the Hague Convention is very often a force for good. What the mother needs to do now is make an application in Australia to permanently remove her son from the country and bring him back to the UK. Hopefully the courts in Australia will look favourably upon the application, especially in light of the fact that the mother in this case returned to the UK because her father had been diagnosed with cancer.”

Ms Halford commented finally, “It is unfortunate that Debbie did not either make an application or seek a court order before she left Australia. Even a simple request for the father’s consent would have sufficed. I wish Debbie well in her efforts to return to the UK with baby Liam but I would urge anyone faced with similar circumstances to seek specialist legal advice. It could save an awful lot of heartache and stress.”

For parental child abduction information, phone 0870 164 2372
or visit http://www.pannone.com/solicitors-for-you/fl-child-abduction.asp for more information.

Watch the BBC News coverage of this story on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7796592.stm

Contact Information

Louise Halford

Family Law Solicitor

Pannone LLP

Contact via E-mail