Another example of what father's rights has wrought. Dad WAYNE RICARDO SCHWAMM has finally pleaded guilty to assaulting the mother of his 20-month-old son, the child he took from her and left unattended in his car outside a strip club. But Daddy really struggled with this decision to plead guilty, see. He was worried that a guilty plea MIGHT ENDANGER HIS CUSTODY BID FOR THE CHILD. Meanwhile, Mum is stuck in court-mandated "relationship counselling" with this piece of crap. Stupid and unbelievable. It seems you can never escape these guys nowadays, even when they are convicted or plead guilty to crimes. Of course, he's out on bail. Aren't they always. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, New York, a mother is in jail WITHOUT BAIL because she doesn't want her son to visit with his convicted serial rapist father in prison. Are we starting to see a pattern here?
We've posted on this case before.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3863354/Strip-club-father-convicted-of-assault
Strip club father convicted of assault
By MICHAEL FORBES - The Dominion Post
Last updated 05:00 29/06/2010
The man who left his baby unsupervised outside a Wellington strip club has admitted assaulting the child's mother, after previously wanting to argue the charge.
Wayne Ricardo Schwamm, 42, of Palmerston North, pleaded guilty to assaulting Ashley Chai this year.
But he changed his mind when he appeared for sentence on June 1 – worried that a conviction would prevent him winning custody of his 20-month-old son. He asked Judge Grant Fraser to vacate the guilty plea.
In Palmerston North District Court yesterday, Schwamm had another change of heart and opted to stick with the guilty plea. Judge Fraser previously indicated that Schwamm would be convicted and discharged if he completed eight relationship counselling sessions with Ms Chai.
Schwamm said he had not completed the counselling because the incident outside the strip club – for which he pleaded guilty to leaving a child under 14 without reasonable supervision and was fined $200 – meant he was not allowed to associate with her.
Schwamm was remanded on bail till September 30 to allow him time to complete an anger management course.
The police summary of facts said Schwamm hit Ms Chai in anger, after she allowed the baby to stand up in his high-chair while being fed.
Schwamm told Ms Chai she had ignored his instructions and hit her once, very hard, on her left upper arm with a closed fist, the summary said.
He pleaded guilty on April 19 to leaving his son unsupervised.
He went to Splash Club in Courtenay Place, Wellington, about 3am on April 13 to pick up a stripper friend but, when she was unable to finish work, he waited inside, rather than returning to the car.
A passer-by noticed his young son locked in the back seat and called police.
It is understood the child was unattended for about 40 minutes
Monday, June 28, 2010
Mum's efforts to keep killer dad behind bars labeled "vitriolic" by the press: why? (Port Lincoln, Australia)
A little journalistic bias here? Why is this mother's efforts to keep the killer of her child behind bars "vitriolic"? Maybe because her efforts are politically incorrect these days, since the killer, MERVYN KEITH HULL, was also the father of the child? Not only that, but this scum killed the child during a child "access" visit, and of course, visitation and "joint custody" are a sanctified right these days. Even for "severely depressed" whack jobs like this guy. In addition, this mother fears for her own life and the life of her other children if this guy is released on parole, but I suppose those concerns are "vitriolic" too. Sometimes the media really stinks. And Nigel Hunt's insipidly bad reporting is one notable example.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/mums-plea-to-keep-babys-killer-in-jail/story-e6frf7jx-1225884761306
Last Updated: June 29, 2010
Mum's plea to keep baby's killer in jail
By Nigel Hunt From: Sunday Mail (SA) June 27, 2010 7:24AM
THE South Australian mother of a nine-month-old baby boy killed by his father with a tomahawk in 1995 has mounted a vitriolic Facebook campaign to try to stop him being released from prison on parole.
Port Lincoln woman Valerie Staunton is urging people to lobby Premier Mike Rann to reject her former partner, Mervyn Keith Hull's, bid for freedom - even though the Parole Board is yet to recommend it.
Ms Staunton's Facebook Cause page has gathered more than 6400 members, and supporters have written and emailed letters to Mr Rann's office, that of Correctional Services Minister Tom Koutsantonis and the Parole Board urging Hull's continued incarceration.
Hull, now 46, pleaded guilty in 1996 to the murder of his son Cameron, on Eyre Peninsula. The Supreme Court was told Hull had attempted to kill both himself and Cameron by carbon monoxide poisoning in his car, but this had failed. He said he then did not want his son to suffer and so struck him in the head and neck with a tomahawk to kill him.
The court was told Hull had an acrimonious relationship with Ms Staunton, and the incident occurred during an access visit while Hull was suffering severe depression. He feared his future access was under threat after not returning Cameron by an arranged deadline.
Hull was sentenced to life in prison with a nine-year non-parole period.
The Full Court extended that to 14 years on appeal. This expired last August and he has now applied for parole.
Ms Staunton yesterday said she felt Hull had not spent enough time in prison and she feared "for my safety and the safety of my children".
"He might be behaving in prison but if you put him back into society he may not handle the pressure, which has been proven in the past," she said.
"He would react and I would be a target because he blamed me for what he did; he did it to hurt me, to punish me.
"Murderers should serve life in prison, he should die and he should rot in prison. He should serve his life sentence and there should be no parole."
Parole Board chairwoman Frances Nelson, QC, yesterday said while the board had considered Hull's case, no recommendation had yet been sent to Executive Council.
She said Hull had not caused any problems while in jail and "appreciated almost immediately the gravity of what he had done". "It is a burden that he also has to carry," she said. Ms Nelson said the campaign against Hull's release was "unusual in its intensity" and she had never witnessed "a campaign of this magnitude".
"I understand she is the mother of a small child who was killed, and I can totally empathise with her loss and grief," she said.
"But her approach to the case is a very subjective one, and that is the reason we have independent judges because they have no emotional involvement and they apply a sentence which is not motivated by subjective feelings.
"I would think the wider community, if they had regard to all of the circumstances, would have a balanced view."
Ms Nelson would not comment when asked about the board's recommendation in this case.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/mums-plea-to-keep-babys-killer-in-jail/story-e6frf7jx-1225884761306
Last Updated: June 29, 2010
Mum's plea to keep baby's killer in jail
By Nigel Hunt From: Sunday Mail (SA) June 27, 2010 7:24AM
THE South Australian mother of a nine-month-old baby boy killed by his father with a tomahawk in 1995 has mounted a vitriolic Facebook campaign to try to stop him being released from prison on parole.
Port Lincoln woman Valerie Staunton is urging people to lobby Premier Mike Rann to reject her former partner, Mervyn Keith Hull's, bid for freedom - even though the Parole Board is yet to recommend it.
Ms Staunton's Facebook Cause page has gathered more than 6400 members, and supporters have written and emailed letters to Mr Rann's office, that of Correctional Services Minister Tom Koutsantonis and the Parole Board urging Hull's continued incarceration.
Hull, now 46, pleaded guilty in 1996 to the murder of his son Cameron, on Eyre Peninsula. The Supreme Court was told Hull had attempted to kill both himself and Cameron by carbon monoxide poisoning in his car, but this had failed. He said he then did not want his son to suffer and so struck him in the head and neck with a tomahawk to kill him.
The court was told Hull had an acrimonious relationship with Ms Staunton, and the incident occurred during an access visit while Hull was suffering severe depression. He feared his future access was under threat after not returning Cameron by an arranged deadline.
Hull was sentenced to life in prison with a nine-year non-parole period.
The Full Court extended that to 14 years on appeal. This expired last August and he has now applied for parole.
Ms Staunton yesterday said she felt Hull had not spent enough time in prison and she feared "for my safety and the safety of my children".
"He might be behaving in prison but if you put him back into society he may not handle the pressure, which has been proven in the past," she said.
"He would react and I would be a target because he blamed me for what he did; he did it to hurt me, to punish me.
"Murderers should serve life in prison, he should die and he should rot in prison. He should serve his life sentence and there should be no parole."
Parole Board chairwoman Frances Nelson, QC, yesterday said while the board had considered Hull's case, no recommendation had yet been sent to Executive Council.
She said Hull had not caused any problems while in jail and "appreciated almost immediately the gravity of what he had done". "It is a burden that he also has to carry," she said. Ms Nelson said the campaign against Hull's release was "unusual in its intensity" and she had never witnessed "a campaign of this magnitude".
"I understand she is the mother of a small child who was killed, and I can totally empathise with her loss and grief," she said.
"But her approach to the case is a very subjective one, and that is the reason we have independent judges because they have no emotional involvement and they apply a sentence which is not motivated by subjective feelings.
"I would think the wider community, if they had regard to all of the circumstances, would have a balanced view."
Ms Nelson would not comment when asked about the board's recommendation in this case.
Mom jailed for keeping son from visiting convicted rapist dad in prison (Brooklyn, New York)
If this case isn't prima facie proof that fathers' rights have completely won out in this country, I don't know what is. Mom is being jailed (in solitary confinement) because she doesn't believe it's a good idea to send her 9-year-old son to Arizona to visit his serial rapist father SEON JONAS in prison. So now under the regime of fathers rights, good mothering and sound parental judgement is worthy of solitary confiment. She can't even get bail, when (father) batterers and child killers routintely get bail all the time. Disgusting.
Brooklyn Family Court Judge Robin Sheares has a lot to answer for.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/06/27/2010-06-27_jailed_for_her_son_50_days_for_keeping_him_from_visiting_his_rapist_dad.html
Brooklyn mom Sukhwant Herb jailed for 50 days for keeping son from visiting rapist dad
BY William Sherman
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, June 27th 2010, 4:00 AM
A Brooklyn mom has been tossed in jail because she refused to send her 9-year-old son to an Arizona prison to visit his father, a serial rapist locked away for decades.
Sukhwant Herb is serving 50 days on Rikers Island - in solitary confinement, she says - because she ignored a court order mandating twice-a-year prison visits for her son Seon.
She agreed to the visitation deal with representatives of the boy's father in September, her lawyer said.
Then she changed her mind.
"I don't want my son in that environment, seeing the prisoners in jumpers, and the slamming of gates, the noise. My son is 9, and it's horrible, horrific," Herb told the News in a phone call. "I'm locked here in a room, locked in 23 hours a day, with a TV.
"I turn [the TV] on just to hear another voice. The first time they took me outside for some fresh air was after 13 days in jail and that was for only one hour."
The 29-year-old mom from East New York can have visitors and make some phone calls.
But she doesn't want her son visiting her, either. "Not in this environment," she said.
Brooklyn Family Court Judge Robin Sheares shipped Herb off to Rikers on June 10 after having her arrested on a warrant.
The judge declined to comment.
David Bookstaver, spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration, said Herb was jailed because she missed five court appearances.
She had ample opportunity to try and modify the visitation order and is a flight risk, he said.
The circumstances of Herb's incarceration "are highly unusual," Bookstaver acknowledged, "but warranted."
Bookstaver said Herb "was given numerous opportunities to answer simple questions to avoid incarceration, but was uncooperative, could not produce proof of where she'd been, or where her son was attending school."
Herb's version of the hearing is quite different.
"I kept telling the judge where I was living, that I had a house in Ohio and was planning to move there with my son. But [the judge] kept screaming at me, 'I don't believe you, I don't care. I don't believe you.'"
Herb, who said she worked with a financial services firm dealing with foreclosures, is planning a move to Cambridge, Ohio, with her son and a 6-month-old daughter she has with her fiance, Dwayne Waithe, of Jamaica, Queens. The boy is living with Waithe while Herb is in jail.
Waithe said he was willing to put up his home, his trucking business and his bank account for Herb's bail, but was shot down.
"Even killers get bail," Waithe said. "This is unbelievable."
Herb conceded she made many mistakes in her dealings with Sheares. "It was a poor decision not to hire a lawyer earlier and fight all this in court," she said. "Still, this is wrong."
She recently hired a lawyer, Dale Frederick.
"It is not in the best interest of any child to incarcerate his mother for refusing to allow that child to go to a penitentiary, particularly where the father is a convicted serial rapist," Frederick said.
The father of Herb's son, Seon Jonas, 31, was convicted in 2003 of raping three women in Phoenix and is serving 27 years in an Arizona state prison.
Herb said she and Jonas, who met 11 years ago in New York, were living together in Phoenix when the rapes took place. Two of Jonas' victims were teenagers, she added.
"I had no idea of his secret life, that he did that," she said. "He was a kind man, was never abusive to me when we were living together."
After Jonas was imprisoned, Herb came back to Brooklyn with her son and moved in with her mother. The boy has not seen has father since at least the beginning of 2009.
"I am just devastated by this," said her mother, Gloria Herb.
Herb's aunt, Shelly Alexander, visited Herb last week and said, "She was just crying all the time.
"You sit across the table from the prisoner and right next to us was a woman who was a murderer.
"My niece made bad choices, but that doesn't make her a bad woman. June 30 is her birthday and she's going to spend it in jail."
It's unclear what will happen after she serves her sentence.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/06/27/2010-06-27_jailed_for_her_son_50_days_for_keeping_him_from_visiting_his_rapist_dad.html#ixzz0sARMshLN
Brooklyn Family Court Judge Robin Sheares has a lot to answer for.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/06/27/2010-06-27_jailed_for_her_son_50_days_for_keeping_him_from_visiting_his_rapist_dad.html
Brooklyn mom Sukhwant Herb jailed for 50 days for keeping son from visiting rapist dad
BY William Sherman
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, June 27th 2010, 4:00 AM
A Brooklyn mom has been tossed in jail because she refused to send her 9-year-old son to an Arizona prison to visit his father, a serial rapist locked away for decades.
Sukhwant Herb is serving 50 days on Rikers Island - in solitary confinement, she says - because she ignored a court order mandating twice-a-year prison visits for her son Seon.
She agreed to the visitation deal with representatives of the boy's father in September, her lawyer said.
Then she changed her mind.
"I don't want my son in that environment, seeing the prisoners in jumpers, and the slamming of gates, the noise. My son is 9, and it's horrible, horrific," Herb told the News in a phone call. "I'm locked here in a room, locked in 23 hours a day, with a TV.
"I turn [the TV] on just to hear another voice. The first time they took me outside for some fresh air was after 13 days in jail and that was for only one hour."
The 29-year-old mom from East New York can have visitors and make some phone calls.
But she doesn't want her son visiting her, either. "Not in this environment," she said.
Brooklyn Family Court Judge Robin Sheares shipped Herb off to Rikers on June 10 after having her arrested on a warrant.
The judge declined to comment.
David Bookstaver, spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration, said Herb was jailed because she missed five court appearances.
She had ample opportunity to try and modify the visitation order and is a flight risk, he said.
The circumstances of Herb's incarceration "are highly unusual," Bookstaver acknowledged, "but warranted."
Bookstaver said Herb "was given numerous opportunities to answer simple questions to avoid incarceration, but was uncooperative, could not produce proof of where she'd been, or where her son was attending school."
Herb's version of the hearing is quite different.
"I kept telling the judge where I was living, that I had a house in Ohio and was planning to move there with my son. But [the judge] kept screaming at me, 'I don't believe you, I don't care. I don't believe you.'"
Herb, who said she worked with a financial services firm dealing with foreclosures, is planning a move to Cambridge, Ohio, with her son and a 6-month-old daughter she has with her fiance, Dwayne Waithe, of Jamaica, Queens. The boy is living with Waithe while Herb is in jail.
Waithe said he was willing to put up his home, his trucking business and his bank account for Herb's bail, but was shot down.
"Even killers get bail," Waithe said. "This is unbelievable."
Herb conceded she made many mistakes in her dealings with Sheares. "It was a poor decision not to hire a lawyer earlier and fight all this in court," she said. "Still, this is wrong."
She recently hired a lawyer, Dale Frederick.
"It is not in the best interest of any child to incarcerate his mother for refusing to allow that child to go to a penitentiary, particularly where the father is a convicted serial rapist," Frederick said.
The father of Herb's son, Seon Jonas, 31, was convicted in 2003 of raping three women in Phoenix and is serving 27 years in an Arizona state prison.
Herb said she and Jonas, who met 11 years ago in New York, were living together in Phoenix when the rapes took place. Two of Jonas' victims were teenagers, she added.
"I had no idea of his secret life, that he did that," she said. "He was a kind man, was never abusive to me when we were living together."
After Jonas was imprisoned, Herb came back to Brooklyn with her son and moved in with her mother. The boy has not seen has father since at least the beginning of 2009.
"I am just devastated by this," said her mother, Gloria Herb.
Herb's aunt, Shelly Alexander, visited Herb last week and said, "She was just crying all the time.
"You sit across the table from the prisoner and right next to us was a woman who was a murderer.
"My niece made bad choices, but that doesn't make her a bad woman. June 30 is her birthday and she's going to spend it in jail."
It's unclear what will happen after she serves her sentence.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/06/27/2010-06-27_jailed_for_her_son_50_days_for_keeping_him_from_visiting_his_rapist_dad.html#ixzz0sARMshLN
Police: Dad slashed throat of 5-year-old daughter, killing her (Hoodsport, Washington)
UNNAMED DAD has been arrested in a fatal knife-attack on his 5-year-old daughter. Little detail is available yet.
http://www.king5.com/home/Father-detained-in--97300799.html
Man suspected in knife-attack death of daughter
by KYLE MOORE and TERESA YUAN / KING 5 News
KING5.com
Posted on June 28, 2010 at 6:19 AM
Updated today at 7:08 AM
HOODSPORT, Wash. -- A five-year-old girl is dead after sheriff's deputies say her father slashed her throat while vacationing at Lake Cushman in Mason County Sunday evening.
"I've been in the business for 37 years. This is probably one of the most horrific incidents I've been involved with," said Chief Deputy Dean Byrd, Mason County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities say the family was vacationing from British Columbia and had only been at Lake Cushman for a couple of days.
Dispatchers received a 911 call from someone at the house around 6:30 p.m.
Deputies say initially the information was a bit confusing. The first call came in as someone was accidentally hurt. Then changed it to an 18-year-old was cut with a knife.
But then on route to the scene, deputies received information that a father allegedly cut his young daughter.
When deputies arrived they found a 29-year-old father on the front steps. Inside they found a 5-year-old girl whose throat had been slashed.
According to investigators, the father became upset with his daughter and took the knife to her neck.
Authorities say the father then notified the rest of the family of his actions.
"Our emergency response workers as well as our officers are pretty upset about this. Anytime a child's life is taken it's just horrific. Our sympathy goes out to the family," said Chief Deputy Byrd.
Authorities say the father did cooperate with police. He's being held at the Mason County jail for investigation of murder.
KING 5 has learned other members of the family, including the girl's mother, were in the house at the time of the incident and were not hurt. A chaplain was called in to help.
Authorities have not released the name of the victim or the father.
http://www.king5.com/home/Father-detained-in--97300799.html
Man suspected in knife-attack death of daughter
by KYLE MOORE and TERESA YUAN / KING 5 News
KING5.com
Posted on June 28, 2010 at 6:19 AM
Updated today at 7:08 AM
HOODSPORT, Wash. -- A five-year-old girl is dead after sheriff's deputies say her father slashed her throat while vacationing at Lake Cushman in Mason County Sunday evening.
"I've been in the business for 37 years. This is probably one of the most horrific incidents I've been involved with," said Chief Deputy Dean Byrd, Mason County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities say the family was vacationing from British Columbia and had only been at Lake Cushman for a couple of days.
Dispatchers received a 911 call from someone at the house around 6:30 p.m.
Deputies say initially the information was a bit confusing. The first call came in as someone was accidentally hurt. Then changed it to an 18-year-old was cut with a knife.
But then on route to the scene, deputies received information that a father allegedly cut his young daughter.
When deputies arrived they found a 29-year-old father on the front steps. Inside they found a 5-year-old girl whose throat had been slashed.
According to investigators, the father became upset with his daughter and took the knife to her neck.
Authorities say the father then notified the rest of the family of his actions.
"Our emergency response workers as well as our officers are pretty upset about this. Anytime a child's life is taken it's just horrific. Our sympathy goes out to the family," said Chief Deputy Byrd.
Authorities say the father did cooperate with police. He's being held at the Mason County jail for investigation of murder.
KING 5 has learned other members of the family, including the girl's mother, were in the house at the time of the incident and were not hurt. A chaplain was called in to help.
Authorities have not released the name of the victim or the father.
Dad arranges for mom to be drugged and dumped in Pakistan, then files for divorce, custody of 2-month-old son (England)
Wow, I thought I'd heard of every custodial scam there was, but this tactic is brand new to me. In this case we have a creative twist on the usual international kidnapping scenario. Seems this abusive English father had grown "bored" with his young Pakistani wife, but wanted full ownership of their 2-month-old son. So does he kill her? Kidnap the kid? No. He had her drugged and flown out of England back to Pakistan, where she was dumped at her parents' house. In other words, he deliberately left her stranded with no passport or ID. How he quite managed this is not really explained, but he must have had some cooperation with certain authorities on high. However, interestingly enough, this is not explored here. Then with the baby's mom out of the way, he manages to file for divorce. Now the mom can't get back into the U.K. for the baby's child welfare (custody) hearing. Sickening.
http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/5244-TM-Mother-stranded-in-Pakistan.htm
Mother stranded in Pakistan
27 June 2010
In the news at the moment the Family Division of the High Court ruled last week that the mother of a British baby boy was deliberately stranded in Pakistan by her husband and his relatives.
The child now lives with his father and family in the north of England. The court was told that the father had grown bored of his wife after two years of marriage and and wanted to keep the son. Mrs Justice Hogg urged the Home Office to allow the mother, Aqila, now 20 years old, back into the country after she was drugged and flown to Pakistan , and left outside her parents home, without any documents. Aqila does not speak English.
This was apparently following a row between the spouses. The husband obtained divorce papers from a priest within 48 hours of the row. He also claims he sent her passport, ID card, and divorce papers to the British High Commission. They were never seen.
The baby boy was two months old and Aqila alleged that from the start of the marriage the mother had been bullied by the father and his relatives. In turn the father alleges that Aqila was very demanding and unreasonable.
In her judgment, Mrs Justice Mary Hogg said:
I do not accept that the grandfather knew nothing about it. He was fully aware that the marriage was failing and deeply involved in the plan to take her there and leave her stranded from her baby. Grandmother was aware of the plan, too... This was a callous way of behaving towards a new young mother and her very young baby. This is sadly not the first case of deliberate separation of a mother from her child. This is emotionally harmful to the child... it is abhorrent. It is selfish and cruel behaviour by those who do it."
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office was aware of this case, as was the UK Border Agency and the British High Commission. It was most unfortunate that she was not given permission to come in for this hearing... I make an urgent plea to the immigration authorities that this mother is able to enter this country for the purpose of the welfare hearing.
The court was told that Aqila needed to be let into the country to attend a welfare hearing about her son, but the UK authorities had been unwilling to let Aqila in.
Aqila came to live in England on a spousal visa, valid until December 2010. She and her husband, who was her legal sponsor, needed to fulfil certain immigration procedures for her to stay here indefinitely. Aqila has a new Pakistani passport but the British High Commission has refused to supply her with a duplicate spousal visa which would allow her to fight this case in person.
The UK Border Agency commented in response to Mrs Justice Hogg:
We will consider the judge's comments in this case. Anyone with a child custody case before the UK courts can apply to enter the country for the hearing.
The solicitor acting for Aqila has dealt with over 50 cases and has highlighted a hidden abuse of overseas women who marry UK men. It is hoped the ruling will help these women.
Tim Mount is a trainee solicitor, contactable at tim.mount@lawdit.co.uk
http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/5244-TM-Mother-stranded-in-Pakistan.htm
Mother stranded in Pakistan
27 June 2010
In the news at the moment the Family Division of the High Court ruled last week that the mother of a British baby boy was deliberately stranded in Pakistan by her husband and his relatives.
The child now lives with his father and family in the north of England. The court was told that the father had grown bored of his wife after two years of marriage and and wanted to keep the son. Mrs Justice Hogg urged the Home Office to allow the mother, Aqila, now 20 years old, back into the country after she was drugged and flown to Pakistan , and left outside her parents home, without any documents. Aqila does not speak English.
This was apparently following a row between the spouses. The husband obtained divorce papers from a priest within 48 hours of the row. He also claims he sent her passport, ID card, and divorce papers to the British High Commission. They were never seen.
The baby boy was two months old and Aqila alleged that from the start of the marriage the mother had been bullied by the father and his relatives. In turn the father alleges that Aqila was very demanding and unreasonable.
In her judgment, Mrs Justice Mary Hogg said:
I do not accept that the grandfather knew nothing about it. He was fully aware that the marriage was failing and deeply involved in the plan to take her there and leave her stranded from her baby. Grandmother was aware of the plan, too... This was a callous way of behaving towards a new young mother and her very young baby. This is sadly not the first case of deliberate separation of a mother from her child. This is emotionally harmful to the child... it is abhorrent. It is selfish and cruel behaviour by those who do it."
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office was aware of this case, as was the UK Border Agency and the British High Commission. It was most unfortunate that she was not given permission to come in for this hearing... I make an urgent plea to the immigration authorities that this mother is able to enter this country for the purpose of the welfare hearing.
The court was told that Aqila needed to be let into the country to attend a welfare hearing about her son, but the UK authorities had been unwilling to let Aqila in.
Aqila came to live in England on a spousal visa, valid until December 2010. She and her husband, who was her legal sponsor, needed to fulfil certain immigration procedures for her to stay here indefinitely. Aqila has a new Pakistani passport but the British High Commission has refused to supply her with a duplicate spousal visa which would allow her to fight this case in person.
The UK Border Agency commented in response to Mrs Justice Hogg:
We will consider the judge's comments in this case. Anyone with a child custody case before the UK courts can apply to enter the country for the hearing.
The solicitor acting for Aqila has dealt with over 50 cases and has highlighted a hidden abuse of overseas women who marry UK men. It is hoped the ruling will help these women.
Tim Mount is a trainee solicitor, contactable at tim.mount@lawdit.co.uk
Dad arrested, charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse (Maryville, Maryland)
Dad MARK AARON CHUNG seems to be another one of these abusive fathers who loves making a scene with lots of Daddy Drama. Notice that this scene could have escalated into something far worse since this "agitated" idiot was threatening to kill his wife and children. Thank God there were some brave neighbors--who at considerable risk to themselves--tackled this guy and held him till police arrived.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20100626/NEWS/306269987
Maryville man arrested on child abuse charges
By Mark Boxley
markb@thedailytimes.com
Originally published: June 26. 2010 3:01AM
Last modified: June 26. 2010 12:22AM
Members of the Wales Avenue community stopped a father from seriously injuring his two young children when they stepped in and removed them and restrained him during a violent altercation, police said Friday.
Mark Aaron Chung, 30, Wales Avenue, Maryville, was charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse in the case, which allegedly started when a neighbor heard someone screaming nearby.
“(The neighbor) advised that just before our arrival, they heard someone yelling, ‘Help me! Help me! Help me!’” said Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp Friday.
When the neighbor responded to the calls for assistance, she allegedly saw Chung holding his 4-year-old daughter off the ground and against the wall by her neck, Crisp said.
“(The neighbor) intervened and was able to get the child away from Chung,” he said.
At that point, Chung then grabbed his 4-month-old child — who was being held by his wife — and allegedly dangled the child by its ankles “as he and his wife struggled over the child,” Crisp said. “The child's head struck the door on more than one occasion.”
Chung's wife was reportedly able to finally get the child away from him and it was at that point that neighbors tackled him and held him until officers arrived at the scene. Chung was allegedly yelling that he was “going to kill his wife and children” when authorities arrived, Crisp said.
Officers escorted Chung to the ground level of the apartment complex where the incident took place, and reported that the man “was highly agitated” and had to be continually restrained.
The entire incident took place the evening of June 15, and after Chung was taken into custody he was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital for evaluation. He was charged with the counts of aggravated child abuse on Thursday.
Chung was being held in lieu of bonds totaling $200,000 pending a 9 a.m. June 29 hearing in Blount County General Sessions Court.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20100626/NEWS/306269987
Maryville man arrested on child abuse charges
By Mark Boxley
markb@thedailytimes.com
Originally published: June 26. 2010 3:01AM
Last modified: June 26. 2010 12:22AM
Members of the Wales Avenue community stopped a father from seriously injuring his two young children when they stepped in and removed them and restrained him during a violent altercation, police said Friday.
Mark Aaron Chung, 30, Wales Avenue, Maryville, was charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse in the case, which allegedly started when a neighbor heard someone screaming nearby.
“(The neighbor) advised that just before our arrival, they heard someone yelling, ‘Help me! Help me! Help me!’” said Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp Friday.
When the neighbor responded to the calls for assistance, she allegedly saw Chung holding his 4-year-old daughter off the ground and against the wall by her neck, Crisp said.
“(The neighbor) intervened and was able to get the child away from Chung,” he said.
At that point, Chung then grabbed his 4-month-old child — who was being held by his wife — and allegedly dangled the child by its ankles “as he and his wife struggled over the child,” Crisp said. “The child's head struck the door on more than one occasion.”
Chung's wife was reportedly able to finally get the child away from him and it was at that point that neighbors tackled him and held him until officers arrived at the scene. Chung was allegedly yelling that he was “going to kill his wife and children” when authorities arrived, Crisp said.
Officers escorted Chung to the ground level of the apartment complex where the incident took place, and reported that the man “was highly agitated” and had to be continually restrained.
The entire incident took place the evening of June 15, and after Chung was taken into custody he was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital for evaluation. He was charged with the counts of aggravated child abuse on Thursday.
Chung was being held in lieu of bonds totaling $200,000 pending a 9 a.m. June 29 hearing in Blount County General Sessions Court.
Dad gets 30 to life in infant daughter's sexual assault, murder (Poughkeepsie, New York)
Dad WILLIAM TATE JR. has been sentenced to 30 years to life in the sexual assault and murder of his 3-month-old daughter. What the hell more can you say about a creature like this?
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100626/NEWS05/6260328/-1/NLETTER01/Dad-gets-30-to-life-in-daughter-s-killing?source=nletter-news
Dad gets 30 to life in daughter's killing
Larry Hertz • Poughkeepsie Journal • June 26, 2010
A shattered family watched in Dutchess County Court as a father was sent to prison for sexually assaulting and murdering his 3-month-old daughter.
As the baby's mother, Robin Petty Tate, sobbed in her mother's arms in the gallery of the courtroom, 29-year-old William Tate Jr., his arms shackled at his sides, stared straight ahead as County Court Judge Thomas J. Dolan sentenced him to 30 years to life behind bars.
Wassaic man admits sex abuse, murder of infant daughter
"Your job as a father was to love and protect this child," Dolan told William Tate Jr. "Nobody has words to describe what you have done."
The judge then paused and pointed a finger at the defendant.
"When you go to sleep every night in prison, I want you to remember that little girl, what she was and what she could have been," he said.
Dolan then sentenced William Tate Jr. to 25 years to life, the maximum allowed by law for second-degree murder, and an additional five years on a charge of aggravated sexual abuse. The sentence means he will not be eligible for parole until at least 2040.
William Tate Jr. entered guilty pleas to the two crimes June 17. He acknowledged he had caused the death of his daughter, Reese Tate, by sexually abusing her and inflicting head injuries. The baby was fatally injured at the family's home on Willow Lane in Wassaic on the night of Feb. 3. She was pronounced dead early on Feb. 4 at Sharon (Conn.) Hospital.
William Tate Jr.'s eyes blinked several times as he watched his wife walk unsteadily to the front of the third-floor courtroom of the county courthouse to address the court.
Robin Tate sobbed between sentences as she read a two-page, typewritten statement, but she gathered herself and continued, looking directly at her husband several times.
She told him Oct. 20, 2009 — "the day my beautiful Reesie Doll came into my life" — had been the happiest day of her life.
"I remember the words I spoke when they first laid her on my belly: 'She's beautiful. I'm so glad we didn't have an ugly baby,' " she said, causing many in the courtroom to smile.
"Now I wake up each morning and realize I can never again go into her room to wake her. The pain in my heart is limitless," she said. "Reese was my world and now she is my angel."
Glancing again at her husband, she continued: "How, if there is a God or higher power, how could they let something like this happen to my innocent child? I try to take comfort in the fact that God has a plan and if in fact there is a God, may he have no mercy on William's soul."
William Tate Jr., dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, looked at Dolan as he spoke about what he had done.
"Your honor," he said, "the day my daughter was born, when I first held her, I told her that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. My heart is broken that I am the reason she is gone. I will never be able to forgive myself, nor should I, for the pain I have caused my extended family — my wife, her parents, her brother ... I can't describe how sorry I am.
"I loved my daughter very much and would do anything to take her place," he said.
Earlier in the proceedings, William Tate Jr.'s mother-in-law and father-in-law, Carmen and Bruce Petty, tried to read prepared statements but both began to cry uncontrollably within a few minutes. The rest of their statements were read by Senior Assistant District Attorney Marjorie Smith, who prosecuted the case.
"Billy, you may have to spend a long stretch of your life in prison, and God knows you deserve to," Bruce Petty told his son-in-law before he began to cry. "But believe me that while you are being sentenced today, some of us, your family and friends, have already had a life sentence imposed on us. Because of your cowardly act of selfishness, Robin, my baby girl, is sentenced to life without her baby girl."
Carmen Petty was able to read only one paragraph of her statement before she sobbed and fell into Smith's arms.
"I've lost interest in just about everything I used to enjoy, like gardening," she said. "Now the only gardening things I do have to do with my beautiful granddaughter, Reese, her memorial garden at home."
Then the one-page statement she was holding shook as she began to sob.
"When I think of what Billy did, I can't understand it," she said, then handed the statement to Smith and walked back to her seat in the first row of the courtroom gallery.
Smith, who called the case the most horrific she had ever handled in nearly 30 years as a prosecutor, said it was particularly baffling because William Tate Jr. had no history of doing anything wrong.
"He comes from what appears to be a good and decent intact nuclear family. ... His school and work records are those of a normal person. … The complete lack of behavioral indicators makes this situation even more disturbing," the prosecutor said.
Smith said she had been distressed to read comments from anonymous people on news blogs "who would blame Robin for contributing to her daughter's death."
"In the most clear and unequivocal language I can use, I can tell the court and anyone else who cares to listen that the thorough investigation has uncovered not a shred or iota of proof or evidence that Robin has been other than a good and decent mother who loved her daughter Reese more than life itself," the prosecutor said.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100626/NEWS05/6260328/-1/NLETTER01/Dad-gets-30-to-life-in-daughter-s-killing?source=nletter-news
Dad gets 30 to life in daughter's killing
Larry Hertz • Poughkeepsie Journal • June 26, 2010
A shattered family watched in Dutchess County Court as a father was sent to prison for sexually assaulting and murdering his 3-month-old daughter.
As the baby's mother, Robin Petty Tate, sobbed in her mother's arms in the gallery of the courtroom, 29-year-old William Tate Jr., his arms shackled at his sides, stared straight ahead as County Court Judge Thomas J. Dolan sentenced him to 30 years to life behind bars.
Wassaic man admits sex abuse, murder of infant daughter
"Your job as a father was to love and protect this child," Dolan told William Tate Jr. "Nobody has words to describe what you have done."
The judge then paused and pointed a finger at the defendant.
"When you go to sleep every night in prison, I want you to remember that little girl, what she was and what she could have been," he said.
Dolan then sentenced William Tate Jr. to 25 years to life, the maximum allowed by law for second-degree murder, and an additional five years on a charge of aggravated sexual abuse. The sentence means he will not be eligible for parole until at least 2040.
William Tate Jr. entered guilty pleas to the two crimes June 17. He acknowledged he had caused the death of his daughter, Reese Tate, by sexually abusing her and inflicting head injuries. The baby was fatally injured at the family's home on Willow Lane in Wassaic on the night of Feb. 3. She was pronounced dead early on Feb. 4 at Sharon (Conn.) Hospital.
William Tate Jr.'s eyes blinked several times as he watched his wife walk unsteadily to the front of the third-floor courtroom of the county courthouse to address the court.
Robin Tate sobbed between sentences as she read a two-page, typewritten statement, but she gathered herself and continued, looking directly at her husband several times.
She told him Oct. 20, 2009 — "the day my beautiful Reesie Doll came into my life" — had been the happiest day of her life.
"I remember the words I spoke when they first laid her on my belly: 'She's beautiful. I'm so glad we didn't have an ugly baby,' " she said, causing many in the courtroom to smile.
"Now I wake up each morning and realize I can never again go into her room to wake her. The pain in my heart is limitless," she said. "Reese was my world and now she is my angel."
Glancing again at her husband, she continued: "How, if there is a God or higher power, how could they let something like this happen to my innocent child? I try to take comfort in the fact that God has a plan and if in fact there is a God, may he have no mercy on William's soul."
William Tate Jr., dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, looked at Dolan as he spoke about what he had done.
"Your honor," he said, "the day my daughter was born, when I first held her, I told her that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. My heart is broken that I am the reason she is gone. I will never be able to forgive myself, nor should I, for the pain I have caused my extended family — my wife, her parents, her brother ... I can't describe how sorry I am.
"I loved my daughter very much and would do anything to take her place," he said.
Earlier in the proceedings, William Tate Jr.'s mother-in-law and father-in-law, Carmen and Bruce Petty, tried to read prepared statements but both began to cry uncontrollably within a few minutes. The rest of their statements were read by Senior Assistant District Attorney Marjorie Smith, who prosecuted the case.
"Billy, you may have to spend a long stretch of your life in prison, and God knows you deserve to," Bruce Petty told his son-in-law before he began to cry. "But believe me that while you are being sentenced today, some of us, your family and friends, have already had a life sentence imposed on us. Because of your cowardly act of selfishness, Robin, my baby girl, is sentenced to life without her baby girl."
Carmen Petty was able to read only one paragraph of her statement before she sobbed and fell into Smith's arms.
"I've lost interest in just about everything I used to enjoy, like gardening," she said. "Now the only gardening things I do have to do with my beautiful granddaughter, Reese, her memorial garden at home."
Then the one-page statement she was holding shook as she began to sob.
"When I think of what Billy did, I can't understand it," she said, then handed the statement to Smith and walked back to her seat in the first row of the courtroom gallery.
Smith, who called the case the most horrific she had ever handled in nearly 30 years as a prosecutor, said it was particularly baffling because William Tate Jr. had no history of doing anything wrong.
"He comes from what appears to be a good and decent intact nuclear family. ... His school and work records are those of a normal person. … The complete lack of behavioral indicators makes this situation even more disturbing," the prosecutor said.
Smith said she had been distressed to read comments from anonymous people on news blogs "who would blame Robin for contributing to her daughter's death."
"In the most clear and unequivocal language I can use, I can tell the court and anyone else who cares to listen that the thorough investigation has uncovered not a shred or iota of proof or evidence that Robin has been other than a good and decent mother who loved her daughter Reese more than life itself," the prosecutor said.
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