Sisters forced to live with abusive father fled at night

Two girls, who were forced to live with their abusive father after being removed from their mother’s care, escaped in the middle of the night by smashing and jumping through a first-floor window.

- MAYA OPPENHEIM

Their case highlights concern around unregulated experts appointed by family courts who then order the removal of children from parents without proper provision. In this case, a family court ordered the girls aged 11 and 13 to stop contact with their mother and live with their father for 90 days, despite accusations that he was a domestic abuser.

One of the girls called a mental health emergency services number from her father’s bedroom, warning she would take her own life if she could not return home to her mother.

The case has been explored in new research by University College London (UCL), which reports that unregulated experts appointed by family courts in England and Wales have harmed children by taking them away from their mothers, and making them either live with or have contact with fathers accused of domestic violence.

The study comes as