Mother spends £30,000 to stop her paedophile ex-husband having access to their daughter after court order banned him from any future contact with kids – but not his own child

• Father imprisoned for sexual offending but still had legal responsibility to child 

A mother was forced to spend £30,000 to stop her paedophile ex-husband from having access to her daughter.

The father was imprisoned for sexual offending and was banned from having contact with children.

But he still held parental responsibility for his daughter because he was married to the mother at the time of birth.

The mother claims she had been repeatedly raped by the father and she had to apply for a court order to strip him of parental responsibility after he was jailed.

The father’s convictions cannot be reported for legal reasons but they did not involve his ex-wife or daughter.

The case was heard at Cardiff Family Court (pictured). The father was described as extremely manipulative

The mother took the exceptional step of asking the court to remove her ex-husband’s parental rights and ban all contact, direct, indirect or through social media, until their daughter turned 18.

Fortunately, a judge ordered that the girl live with her mother until the age of 18 and that the father be barred from contacting her until that age.

The judge said he posed an ‘extremely high risk of sexual and emotional harm’ to the child and that the mother needs to be free from any fear that he could locate them in the future.

Speaking to the BBC, the mother said she was ‘absolutely petrified’ about what would happen once he is freed from prison.

She said she feared he might take their daughter out of school one day without her knowledge.

The only way to get her back would be through the family court.

Despite the severity of the father’s crimes, the mother was advised that the process was likely to be difficult.

The father is described as manipulative and she feared he would be able to convince a court of his remorse.

She is not entitled to legal aid and even before the first hearing, the costs for her solicitor and barrister already began to mount.

The child’s grandmother revealed that her daughter spent £30,000 in legal fees and put in hundreds of hours reading about family law.

The case was heard at Cardiff Family Court.

Judge Mererid Edwards said concerns over the father’s behaviour ‘extend beyond his criminal convictions’, Wales Online reported.

According to the judge, he had admitted to watching ‘incestuous pornography’ while the child was in his care.

The judge added: ‘There are also SMS messages between the father and a vulnerable individual which evidence him building a relationship, gaining trust, and then discussing matters of a sexual nature.

‘This is the sort of manipulative and grooming behaviour often used by abusers.’

Also, the judge noted that messages sent by the father ‘appear to acknowledge having had sexual intercourse’ with the mother while she was asleep which ‘as a bare minimum the messages indicate a concerning lack of understanding in relation to consent and sexual boundaries’.

The child’s maternal grandmother said after the judgement that she was glad the judge saw through the father’s charm.

She said: ‘He was able to look very contrite and heartfelt in court.

‘It would be easy to start feeling sorry for him.

‘These people are very plausible and manipulative. He’s the last person on earth you would think is a paedophile.

‘It was a very favourable outcome but my daughter made her own luck.

‘Many families won’t have a chance because, first of all, will they be able to afford the legal fees? Will they understand all the legal terminology?’

The grandmother also said a conversation is needed about how the legal system can better support people in similar situations.

However, the judge did allow the father to retain some rights.

The father must be informed if the girl leaves the jurisdiction permanently or is in a life-threatening condition.

This doesn’t mean he will be able to make decisions on issues like the girl’s health or travelling abroad and the mum will not have to consult him on her decisions.

Reacting to the judgement, the mother said: ‘I am extremely grateful for the thorough and child-centred approach taken by the professionals involved in this court case.

‘When her father blamed his victims for the sexual abuse he inflicted upon them the court recognised that he continued to be unsafe.

‘When he disclosed watching incest porn in our child’s presence the court understood, in the context of his offences, the extreme risk that he posed to our daughter’s safety.

‘I am so grateful that they made the appropriate orders to keep her from harm.

‘The final orders free my child to have the normal, healthy upbringing that all children deserve.’

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