F4J dads engage in criminal tresspass to prove they're really, really responsible fathers who deserve 50/50 custody! (London, England)

Keep it up, lads! Great way to show the public what responsible, dedicated fathers you really, really are!.

I can just imagine--if you felt entitled to this to the Mayor of London, just think of the bullying tactics you've been pushing on the mother of your kids!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/father-scales-boris-johnsons-london-7781186

Father scales Boris Johnson's London home dressed as Iron Man and takes selfies in custody rights protest

15:29, 18 Apr 2016 Updated 16:04, 18 Apr 2016

By Gemma Mullin , Katherine Clementine

A father has scaled London Mayor Boris Johnson's home dressed as comic book hero Iron Man and took selfies from his balcony in a custody rights protest.

Bobby Smith , 33, was joined by fellow New Fathers 4 Justice member Martin Matthews, to highlight a perceived lack of equality over contact with their children in the event of a divorce.

Mr Smith, who claims to have been denied access to his children for six years, was making his second visit to Mr Johnson's house in Islington, north London, after a previous protest there fell on deaf ears.

He and Mr Matthews hung up banners around Mr Johnson's London home and shouted down to supporters using a megaphone.

Mr Smith, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, told GetWestLondon : "They're sending up climbers to try and get us.

"We're doing a protest for father's rights. Boris wants to be Prime Minister and he's pushing himself out as more than just an MP, and more than a Mayor - he's a national figure.

"He's been London Mayor for eight years now and he's done nothing for fathers in the capital - he's done nothing for the poorer areas, not like Islington where we are now."

Mr Smith has climbed onto the roofs of many public buildings, alongside friend Martin Matthews from Great Bookham – including using a ladder to climb onto the roof of Buckingham Palace and scaling the home of House of Commons leader Chris Grayling , in a bid to get his voice heard.

He continued: "I split up with my children's mum eight years ago. Parenting was meant to be split 50/50 but she just stopped me seeing them.

Police were at Boris Johnson's house since 10.40am trying to talk the protesters down

"I've been going through the family court and protesting for years.

"Children are far more likely to commit crime or fall into drug addiction if they haven't got a dad.

"Boris has done eight years as Mayor and he's done nothing to promote change in family law to give a chance to hard-up fathers.

"We're talking about dads who want to see their children like me and my mate who's up here now."

Metropolitan Police have been at the scene since 10.40am.

A spokesperson for the police said: "We were called to Colebrooke Row to reports of protesters at a location.

"Four people were protesting and two had onto a balcony and unfurled a banner.

"Officers attended and there's no arrests at this time."

Mr Smith was still on the balcony at 2pm and police were still at the scene.

He added: "There's load of police here, and an ambulance.

"There's just two of us on the balcony. We've been up here since half 10 and we're going to try and stay for longer but they're trying to get us down."

Mr Smith recently held a protest outside Boris Johnson’s London home but despite the Mayor of London being home he refused to speak to the protesting dad.

He posted something for him to read though his letterbox and warned him: "I’ll just keep coming back till he’s ready to talk. He’ll give in before I do".

Speaking ahead of the protest, Bobby said: “It’s no good sitting at home getting depressed and getting upset at how much you miss your kids. You need to stand up and not accept what has happened.

"There’s no equality for fathers in family law. I want nothing less than a legal presumption of equal contact for a child with their parents if they split up.”

He stood against David Cameron dressed as Elmo in the 2015 general election and is also standing again in the May Sheffield by-election.

Bobby 'Elmo' Smith leader of the Give Me Back Elmo party is also going to campaign for a "Shake it all about" option in the forthcoming referendum for those who can't decide whether they want to be in or out.

The protest outside Boris' home comes as part of a campaign by splinter group 'New Fathers 4 Justice' and Stop the War on Dads.

Neither group are associated with Matt O'Connor or Fathers4Justice UK.

Fathers Rights group issues violent rape and death threats against elected official (United Kingdom)

This is utterly typical fathers rights behavior everywhere in the world. F4J once made an effort to "clean house" after their well publicized plan to kidnap the son of then Prime Minister Tony Blair, but obviously it's the same F4J. Don't doubt for a minute that they treat their family members in the same abusive and threatening way.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2789596/divorced-mp-forced-change-locks-install-panic-alarm-tells-hell-hands-trolls-fathers-4-justice.html

Divorced MP forced to change locks and install panic alarm as she tells of hell at hands of trolls who back Fathers 4 Justice
•Caroline Nokes dubbed ‘Cameron cutie’ when she was elected
•Miss Nokes now fears for her and her daughter's safety
•MP fell out with founder of Fathers 4 Justice and his wife
•Woman tweeter told her: ‘You should be raped and left for dead'
•Her daughter has begged her not to stand for re-election

By Paul Cahalan for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 19:06 EST, 11 October 2014 | Updated: 10:48 EST, 12 October 2014

Caroline Nokes says she fears for her and her daughter’s safety

A Conservative MP has revealed how she has installed panic buttons in her house, changed her locks, and considers leaving Parliament ‘on a weekly basis’ because of vicious on-line trolling following a feud with pressure group Fathers 4 Justice. Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, says she fears for her and her daughter’s safety after being deluged for 18 months with emails and Facebook and Twitter messages sent by supporters of the fathers’ rights group, who have made life a ‘living hell’.

They included a message from a female Facebook user who said she hoped the MP would be ‘violently raped ... and left for dead’.

Miss Nokes said that she complained to police but has decided not to bring charges. Fathers 4 Justice deny any knowledge of the woman who sent this or other threatening messages.

Miss Nokes added that the abuse so affected her family that her 16-year-old daughter asked her not to stand for re-election next year. The 42-year-old former charity chief executive, who was elected in 2010, said she was determined to continue as an MP rather than give in to ‘bullies’.

She added: ‘I probably come close to quitting the job on a weekly basis because of what they say. The thing that keeps me going is, what sort of example does that set? ‘

My daughter asked me not to stand in the General Election because she saw the effect it was having on me, but my view has always been: Don’t give in to bullies,’ Miss Nokes said.

The abusive messages started after Miss Nokes became embroiled in a row with Matt O’Connor, the founder of Fathers 4 Justice, and his wife, over childcare policy.

As The Mail on Sunday revealed last week, the increasingly bitter feud has culminated in the O’Connors accusing Miss Nokes and her friend, the former Tory lobbyist Adrian Yalland, of stalking and harassment, which they deny.

Miss Nokes first met the O’Connors in 2010 but fell out with them after they claimed she reneged on promises made before the General Election on parenting policy and the Children and Families Bill, enacted in 2012. The abusive messages started after Miss Nokes became embroiled in a row with Matt O’Connor, the founder of Fathers 4 Justice, and his wife (above), over childcare policy.

Miss Nokes, dubbed one of ‘Cameron’s cuties’ when she was elected, had an affair revealed the same year. She says the O’Connors seized upon her divorce, questioning Miss Nokes’s custody over her daughter, the access given to her ex-husband and naming her daughter on the Fathers 4 Justice website.

‘They wanted to humiliate me and to prove I had done a U-turn on the bill because I got divorced,’ Miss Nokes said, adding she was sent aggressive anonymous letters, threats and even pairs of pants in the post.

Following these, she was ‘terrified’ in June last year when posts on the Fathers 4 Justice official Twitter account, run by the O’Connors, suggested that they were looking for her in her constituency. One post said: ‘F4J protesters working around Romsey and Wellow tonight looking for @carolinenokes MP to ask her why she broke her election promises.’

Another read: ‘@carolinenokes MP can run, but she can’t hide. @f4jofficial in Romsey and Wellow.’

Miss Nokes said: ‘I spent an entire night in my running gear. I’m not sure if that was to chase them down or to run from them. It was absolutely terrifying.’

After that, the MP said she took advice from the police and upgraded her security.

‘I have had cameras installed, I had a security report done. I have panic alarms installed and upgraded alarms and CCTV.’

But she also admits to driving her friend Mr Yalland to the O’Connors’ house in Stockbridge, Hampshire, on February 20 this year, where a confrontation ensued. Mr Yalland – who also claims he was being abused by the O’Connors – was attempting to deliver his own lawsuit for libel against the couple but this led to the police being called. Mr Yalland was held on suspicion of assault but was never charged with any offence.

The O’Connors have subsequently accused Miss Nokes of lying about her role in the incident, which she denies.

On Friday, the dispute came to a head at the High Court in London, with the O’Connors accusing Miss Nokes and Mr Yalland of harassment and stalking.

An application for an injunction against Mr Yalland was refused and he was awarded £500 costs. The case continues.

Mr and Mrs O’Connor said last night: ‘Neither the O’Connors nor anyone from Fathers 4 Justice has been to the MP’s house, targeted her children or behaved in any inappropriate way.’

Fathers rights group praise, defend killer dads (Australia)

David Penberthy bends over backwards to be fair yet principled in this piece, and yet in the comment section he is being viciously attacked by the fathers rights people. No surprise there.

This cold-blooded lunacy is not limited to Australia. In the US (to quote but one example),the Coalition for Fathers and Families Vice-President Randy Dickinson sent an email to New York state legislators, just after a mandatory shared-parenting bill had died in committee.  According to the Albany Times Union, the email included a news clipping regarding the then recent shooting of a Nevada family court judge, Chuck Weller, which was being heralded by various FRs groups as an act of “political resistance.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/david-penberthy-innocent-children-like-luke-batty-are-killed-by-their-cowardly-fathers-yet-there-are-those-who-defend-their-actions/story-fni0ffsx-1226834534903?sv=32b97b3400a3219848dec4654b228d95#.UwsTNfUGVzs.facebook

David Penberthy: Innocent children like Luke Batty are killed by their cowardly fathers – yet there are those who defend their actions

David Penberthy The Advertiser • February 22, 2014 11:00PM

THERE are many dark places on the internet. One of its bleakest backwaters are the chatrooms and activist sites frequented by fathers who, rightly or wrongly, have lost custody of these kids.

The men gather in these online forums to share their stories of how much they miss their kids, how the court got it wrong, how their vindictive “ex” fitted them up, a bad lawyer let them down.

I’ve got no doubt that some of these blokes are victims of a conniving former wife, an inability to pay for decent representation, or the fact that they simply got ground down by the soul-destroying nature of the divorce process and threw in the towel.

I’ve also got no doubt that some of them are thugs, bullies, negligent alcoholics, in some cases all of the above, and were such habitually poor husbands and fathers that the court did absolutely the right thing in limiting or ending access to their kids.

It’s for this reason that these websites oscillate between being plain sad and really scary. This is because there is no such thing in these chatrooms as a father who has done anything wrong. Every man, be he a saint or a psycho, is hailed as a victim. A victim of confected evidence, false allegations, police harassment and, most of all, a victim of a feminist conspiracy led by a Family Court hell-bent on ensuring that the mother gets everything, including access to the kids.

This last point is a complete and utter legal fiction. Only in the rarest of cases do men miss out on access to their kids.

As anyone who has been divorced could tell you, the courts have a bias in favour of ensuring that both parents get an even-handed go at rearing the kids. It doesn’t necessarily mean 50:50 down to the last second of each week, but the court’s starting point is to make sure that if both parents are fit and able, they should play a pretty equal role in their children’s ongoing care. It is for this reason that the overwhelming majority of the hundreds of thousands of divorced Australians manage their lives and their kids’ lives with civility and mutual respect.

I write about this today because of the recent murder of Luke Batty, in Melbourne . There are some stories which are so harrowing you wish you never read the details. Luke’s death is one of them and the circumstances do not need another going over.

The thing which caught my attention in the immediate aftermath of his death was the chat in some online quarters about how his father had been “pushed to the edge”, “cracked”, “couldn’t take it anymore”.

There’s a remarkably disturbing theme running through this kind of sentiment. It seeks to rationalise, explain or even flat out forgive acts of such barbarity that they make any normal person feel physically sick.

The same thing happened when Arthur Freeman threw his four-year-old daughter, Darcey, off the West Gate Bridge in 2009. It was a case which broke the heart of the nation.

To some men, though, its most heart-breaking feature wasn’t so much poor little Darcey but poor old Arthur. Rather than offering the rational everyman’s response - that Freeman was a murderous son-of-a-bitch whose actions could never be condoned - a lobby group called the Lone Fathers Association suggested the episode was partly the fault of the Family Court.

Lone Fathers founder Barry Williams had this to say: “It’s a terrible thing what happened to that poor child, in front of the other children, too, but the system is to take blame for some of this.

“The court makes orders of access to one parent, usually the dad in most cases but the minute they walk out of that court, that can be broken and the court has admitted they can’t do anything.”

It is blame-shifting garbage, preventing a child killer from taking full responsibility for an act which goes against every parental instinct.

So, too, now with Luke Batty, whose death has attracted comments from these men not just on family law sites but even on footy sites where discussion threads have been started about the case.

Here’s a guy who signs on with the name caveman72 on the Aussie Rules chat site bigfooty.com on Luke Batty’s death: “The frustration of family court can push you to the limit. Don’t condone what he did, but understand why he did.”

And this on the rugby league site leagueunlimited.com, from a man going by the name “firechild”: “I’m not saying that the judge didn’t get things completely wrong in this instance. In fact I’m saying that the likelihood of mistakes being made are high because so many women make false allegations.”

The foulest contribution came from a website called fathers4equality, penned by some coward who lacks the cojones to put his name to his thoughts, where he opined at length about both the Batty and Freeman cases: “I happen to think that much like the way the Arthur Freeman “girl over the bridge” child murder was portrayed by the media, that this case too, no matter what the mitigating circumstances were, will be portrayed as a case of domestic violence, the kind where only men are the perpetrators. I would suggest that we need understand why this man felt so betrayed, so abandoned, so alone and so angry.”

Yep. Forget the little girl over the bridge or the little boy on the ground at cricket practice. Let’s all hold hands and think about the poor men who did it. Spare me.

Darth Vader joins Fathers for Justice

You don't often get a moment of comic relief here at Dastardly Dads....

http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2011/11/04/darth-vader-joins-fathers-for-justice/

Darth Vader joins Fathers for Justice
The organisation Fathers for Justice gained a high-profile new member today as Darth Vader attended their Annual General Meeting and recounted the harrowing story of how he lost contact with his children.

‘It was never an easy relationship with their mother, Princess Padme,’ explained Vader who had dressed as Batman to draw attention to his plight. ‘I was apprenticed as a Jedi on minimum wage, supposed to remain celibate, then she was suddenly promoted over my head to become Queen Amidala and a member of the Galactic Senate. It was the stress of it all that turned me to the Dark Side.’

‘But I was doing it all for her, and she just couldn’t see it,’ continued Vader. ‘If you read her divorce petition, it’s all ‘He changed, he killed the Sand People and the Jedi Younglings, he’s a Sith Lord, he tried to strangle me using the force, blah, blah, blah’. Nobody asked my side of the story. Plus, she had a very good lawyer.’

Soon after his pregnant wife fled the family planet and died shortly after giving birth to twins. The children were then taken into care by Jedi social services and were adopted by separate parents in different star systems. Vader then spent much of the next twenty years searching for his children, but to no avail.

‘If only I’d known Princess Leia was my daughter then I might not have had her tortured on the Death Star – or only a little bit anyway,’ he reflected. ‘But it’s hard for a father reunited with his children after so long. When I finally met my son I offered to set him up with a good job, a pension, health care, company Tie fighter, but he had a lot of anger issues. It’s just a shame I couldn’t channel it towards the Dark Side. I just lost it and cut off his hand, which may not have been the best response.’

Despite the setbacks Vader is hopeful of regaining contact with his children. ‘I’m building this nice new Death Star just off Endor, somewhere they can stop by and visit, maybe stay over eventually and bring the grandchildren. Just don’t pass the address on to the Child Support Agency.’

Quaz (hat-tip to bonjonelson)

Dad dresses up like Ninja, leaves 4-year-old son home alone (Scottsdale, Pennsylvania)

From the Imperfect Parent blog.

Dad ROSS HURST dresses up like Ninja and play out on the street all by himself. Meanwhile, he left his 4-year-old son home alone. And this isn't just a freaky story. Notice that there is mention of a grandmother who was supposed to be taking care of the child (according to Daddy), but there is NO MENTION of a mother AT ALL. And notice that this guy has made death threats before and attempted to intimidate a witness in a criminal matter. I seriously wonder if this is a custodial dad. Sure sounds like it.

And I wonder if he knows about the UK fathers rights group, Fathers4 Justice. They like to dress up like superheroes too--when they're not throwing things at elected officials, shutting down traffic, or threatening to kidnap the prime minister's son.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.imperfectparent.com/topics/2011/03/11/dad-dresses-up-like-a-ninja-leaves-4-year-old-son-home-alone/

Dad dresses up like a ‘Ninja’; leaves 4 year old son home alone
March 11th, 2011 by Jessica Carlson

A 28 year old man reportedly told Scottsdale, Pennsylvania police that he was “doing nothing wrong” when they found him dressed up like a Ninja and playing all Ninja-like on Burroughs street, by himself. Police later found out that the man had a 4 year old son whom he left at home alone while he got his Ninja on. The incident happened last week in the middle of the day. According to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Ninja father, Ross Hurst, was asked by police why he was playing Ninja by himself and he replied, “There are not a lot of people who want to play ninja.” Ah…truer words were never spoken.

Police reportedly went into investigation mode as they found the story a bit bizarre. Imagine that. Upon interviewing family members, they found out the Ninja had a 4 year old son. According to police, they later went back to Hurst’s house to question him about where his son was while he played Ninja Warrior and that’s when he told them that his son’s Grandmother would watch him during his fantasy games, but the Grandmother says that she was unaware of the situation and was never asked to watch the young boy. Hurst is now being charged with endangering the welfare of a a child. Perhaps next time, he’ll not be so greedy and he’ll teach his son the powers of the Ninja.

Hurst has several other pending allegations that his Ninja suit may not get him out of. On a separate account, he’s been accused by police of threatening to kill a man who he called and accused him of framing his friend who has been charged with possession of a controlled substance. Add to his charges, “Two counts of terroristic threats and two counts of harassment with lewd and threatening language.” Take that Ninja!

DASTARDLY DADS FROM THE ARCHIVES (United Kingdom - 2006)

Was in the process of my annual housecleaning of old files and the like, when I found this little gem from 2006. If you want to know what the fathers rights movement was and is about, start with Fathers 4 Justice (F4K). It was quickly overrun with abusive, threatening control freak men with histories of domestic violence--and ended with a threat to kidnap former Prime Minister Tony Blair's son. Whether a fathers rights organizations is characterized as "moderate" or "hardline" matters little--they are all more or less infested with the same terrorist personality types.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1508185/Fathers-give-up-campaign.html

Fathers give up campaign
By Sarah Womack and George Jones 12:01AM GMT 19 Jan 2006

Fathers 4 Justice, the radical campaign group for men involved in child custody battles, was disbanded last night after allegations that extremist elements were plotting to kidnap Tony Blair's five-year-old son Leo.

Matt O'Connor, the founder, said that after endless feuding in the group and dangerous activities by those on its fringes he had concluded that mothers were simply more mature than fathers.

"There may be a repeat of these sorts of antics and it would do serious damage to the debate and what we have achieved," he said.

"My view is that fathers are not ready for the changes we want to see in this country. They are part of the problem, not the solution, and they are perverting the cause.

"The truth is that our organisation has been run largely by women for two years. A nine-month pregnant woman will turn up and walk for miles at one of our demonstrations while an able- bodied father can't be bothered. We will speak to other groups such as Families Need Fathers and will not leave people in the lurch.

"But this organisation has come to its natural conclusion. I am almost past caring and want a good night's sleep; I have a newborn baby."

Last night Terence Bates, a spokesman for Real Fathers 4 Justice, a splinter group, said that his group's campaign would go on.

Downing Street refused to comment on the specific allegations about the "plot", which was apparently uncovered by Special Branch officers, but officials did not deny the report in The Sun.
Mr Blair's official spokesman confirmed that the Government, police and security services were concerned about the militant tactics adopted by extreme fringe groups. But No 10 angrily denied a report on Sky News suggesting that it had leaked the story to distract attention from the row engulfing Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, over sex offenders in schools.

Mr O'Connor, 38, who is divorced with two sons by his former wife and a three-week-old son by a new partner, said he had expelled about 30 members last year for talking about carrying out extreme stunts. Police had told him that anti-terrorism officers had visited former members of the group over Christmas.

"Anyone who considers kidnapping a five-year-old boy needs their head testing," he said.

Channel Four News said that members of the group claimed that they had been infiltrated by a police informer and that he had proposed the idea of the kidnapping.

In the three years since Fathers 4 Justice was formed, the issue of a father's right has been forced up the Government's lists of priorities.

The group has staged lighthearted stunts such as crane-top protests in comic strip outfits and scaled Big Ben. In 2004 it penetrated the Commons and flour-bombed the Prime Minister.

Campaigners have become increasingly confrontational - solicitors have been bombarded with abusive e-mails, court offices stormed and judges visited at their homes.

This led to accusations from lawyers and ex-wives that the organisation had created an atmosphere of intimidation and fear. Some former wives and girlfriends of the group's members described break-ups of their relationships involving violence, being forced to live in refuges and incidents in which their children witnessed frightening aggression by their fathers.

Two years ago anti-terrorist police were called in to investigate the sending of 60 hoax bombs to family court offices around the country by extremists - denounced by Fathers 4 Justice - demanding better rights for fathers.

Mr Bates told Channel 4 News: "Mr O'Connor should have done this more than a year ago. There were members within Fathers 4 Justice a year ago who were very unhappy with the way things were going.

"Nothing has really changed in family law - there are still huge problems." He said that many people had left the organisation because "Mr O'Connor has failed to move it forward". Mr O'Connor has also been accused of becoming autocratic.

Mr Bates said that the allegation of a kidnap plot was "absolute nonsense". He added: "There is no dark underbelly of extremist fathers within the organisation which Matt speaks about. There is no organised, extreme terrorist-type group planning to kidnap the Prime Minister's children."

F-4-J dad gets "equal" access to daughter; she is now to alternate between homes EVERY WEEK (London, England, United Kingdom)

It appears that Fathers-4-Justice dad JONATHAN STANEBY has been successful in his 8-year temper tantrum/clown show. He now has "equal" access to his daughter, who will be living out of a suitcase as she shuffles back and forth between her mother's and father's house EVERY WEEK. I fail to see how any child benefits from this arrangment. Would any adult choose to live like this with no real home to call your own? Obviously not. That's just plain common sense. Nobody flourishes in this kind of instability, especially a child.

So is Dad going to keep up with the costumes and stunts now that he got his way? And will he be handcuffing his daughter to various politicians as part of F4J's direct actions? Or will he just dump her with a sitter now that he's proved his point?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8236111.stm

Fathers' rights activist 'elated'

The father scaled London's High Court as part of his campaign

A fathers' rights activist who handcuffed himself to a government minister during an eight-year campaign has won equal access to his daughter.

Fathers 4 Justice campaigner Jonathan Stanesby, of south Devon, said he was "absolutely elated" now to have his daughter living with him half the time.

But he said "direct action" by fathers would continue if there was no "radical change" improving their rights.

He handcuffed himself to children's minister Margaret Hodge in 2004.

Mr Stanesby's daughter now spends alternate weeks with her mother and him, with holiday periods also divided equally.

There seems to be a set pattern where a father sees their child alternate weekends - it's almost like a break for the other parent

"I'm absolutely elated, as you can probably imagine. It just seems like a huge weight has just come off my shoulders," he told BBC Radio 5 live's Victoria Derbyshire show.

But he added that his eight-year fight had been a "devastating experience".

Over the handcuffing stunt at a conference in Salford, Greater Manchester, he was cleared at trial of false imprisonment.

Jail term

But he was later found guilty of causing distress and alarm and jailed for two months, over a rooftop demonstration at the home of deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman.

His protests followed ministers' refusal to discuss the issue of fathers' rights with the campaign group, Mr Stanesby said.

"It's quite clear that radical change is needed," he said.

"In this country there seems to be a set pattern where a father sees their child alternate weekends - it's almost like a break for the other parent.

"The non-resident parent in this country is set up to be the walking wallet."

The government firmly believes that children should not be denied meaningful contact with their other parent, where this is safe

Ministry of Justice

Mr Stanesby added: "Obviously I have got now a daughter to concentrate on.

"I want to see change - who knows what's around the corner.

"Direct action obviously has to continue if no change is moving forward."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the well-being of children was "at the heart of the family justice system".

"Where contact cases do come to court, the child's welfare is always the paramount consideration," he said.

"Clearly in some circumstances, such as where there is poor parenting or even abuse, contact can be very damaging.

"The government firmly believes that children should not be denied meaningful contact with their other parent, where this is safe."

'Batman' protest father jailed (United Kingdom)

Father GEOFFREY HIBBERT thinks he is demonstrating his exemplary parenting skills by spending 7 hours hanging from an overhead sign at Heathrow Airport. I disagree. It appears that the authorities disagree as well. Why not try tossing a ball around with your kids, mate? Or a trip to the park? Making yourself into a public nuisance just proves, well, that you're a public nuisance.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8154433.stm

Thursday, 16 July 2009 16:58 UK

'Batman' protest father is jailed

A fathers' rights campaigner who spent hours on an M25 gantry dressed as Batman has been jailed for six months.

Fathers 4 Justice activist Geoffrey Hibbert, 48, of Farnborough, Hampshire, spent seven hours on the overhead sign near Heathrow Airport last August.

He had denied a charge at Harrow Crown Court of causing a public nuisance and one of endangering motorists.

Last August's protest created traffic queues of up to 19km (12 miles) on the M25 and 32km (20 miles) on the M4.

Hibbert unfurled banners from the gantry during his protest.