A Father has been criticised by Mr Justice Peter Jackson for bugging his daughter’s clothes during family law proceedings. The young girl had listening devices sewn into her school blazer and coat so that her father could listen to private meetings with a social worker. The child was thankfully unaware that she had been monitored in such a way by her Father.
The family were in dispute over where the child should live. In total the Father produced over 100 pages of transcripts covering 16 conversations. Mr Justice Peter Jackson said that the recordings had “not produced a single piece of useful information” and that they have damaged relationships between the adults in the young girl’s life. Mr Justice Jackson said that was almost always likely to be wrong for a recording device to be placed on a child for the purpose of gathering evidence in family court proceedings.
We would agree that such tactics are not conducive to ensuring a happy, stable family life for children involved in family law proceedings. Parents should always try their best to set aside their differences and to ensure they work in the best interests of the children. There are many options available to parents to settle their differences amicably, including mediation and collaborative law. For family law advice contact our family team on 08000 147720, email family@ramsdens.co.uk or text LAW to 67777 to arrange a free thirty minute appointment in any of our twelve offices across West Yorkshire.