Father in Child Abduction Case Says Mother 'Planned' Move to Ireland
A father fighting to bring his young daughter back from Ireland has told the High Court he believes her mother had been planning the move for months, long before she boarded a flight with the child last year.
The man, who lives abroad and cannot be named due to court reporting restrictions, has launched child abduction proceedings after his daughter was brought to Ireland without his knowledge. The child was born in Ireland, but the father argues her habitual residence is in his country of residence, which also cannot be identified.
What did the father tell the High Court?
The hearing resumed on Monday after being adjourned over the summer. The court heard that the child's mother, an Irish woman, booked a flight and resigned from her job shortly before leaving the other country. Asked by his barrister, Gráinne Lee, whether he believed the resignation was a spur-of-the-moment decision, the father said he believed it had been planned.
“I think this has always been the plan,” he said.
The father said he was told by the woman she would be gone with the child for a few days. About a week later, he contacted her employer and learned she had resigned before leaving. “Then panic set in,” he told the court.
What are the allegations of abuse?
The child's mother has alleged physical and mental abuse, including coercive control, during their marriage. The father denies all allegations. He said he was unaware the couple had any issues until she left. The pair married several months after meeting online, with the husband previously describing their marriage as an “arrangement” and a “consequence of her getting pregnant.”
Asked why the woman would make the allegations, he said he believed she was “creating a narrative.”
“That's the only thing that explains all this, since the beginning. Looking at all of this now, over the past few months, it looks like she's been preparing for this for a while, from the beginning,” he said.
He denied several specific allegations put to him by Lee, including that he confined the woman to the bedroom for extended periods, describing that claim as “absurd.” He said she spent time in the bedroom because of the large television and her habit of watching shows on a “dodgy box.” He also denied confiscating her phone, saying she wanted to “create a narrative that makes me look like a bad person.”
He did admit to taking her phone away for about 20 minutes on one occasion, when she was pushing the child in a stroller while looking at her phone “non-stop,” saying she was in danger of pushing the stroller into the street without looking.
What other claims were made in court?
During Monday's hearing, the father also alleged the woman “assaulted” their childminder and crashed her car into his while under the influence of alcohol. Tabitha Wood, representing the woman, said her client denied being “drunk.”
The court also heard that a divorce sought by the woman had recently been finalised, with terms outlining joint custody. However, Wood told Judge Nuala Jackson that this provision was “standard issue” and that there was a waiting period before the woman could apply for sole custody.
Why is this case legally complex?
The country where the father lives is not a signatory of the Hague Convention, one of the main international legal frameworks for dealing with child abduction cases. This means the Irish court must take into account the child's welfare and best interests before making a decision, rather than simply ordering a return to the country of habitual residence.
The case continues before the High Court.