Untrue Public Statements
Family and Children
In the case of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council v Haigh and others, The Family Division of the High Court ordered that information relating to the case be made public. This was to counter untrue statements made by the mother suggesting that her estranged husband was a paedophile and therefore unsuited to care for their daughter. The statements had been made via a website set up for that purpose and made to parents at the child’s school. The courts rejected the mother’s claims and found that the father was not a paedophile. It recommended the child should be placed in the father’s care. The Local Authority requested that its own information be included in a public judgement to enable the father and themselves to respond publicly to the false allegations made. It argued that the child would soon be of an age where she would be able to discover the material posted on the internet and that there was a need to counteract the false information circulating the public domain. The application was allowed as long as the identity of the child remained anonymous. An order was also made to prevent the mother making any further applications (without the consent of the court) for the next two years to provide the child and her father a break from litigation.
If you need advice regarding divorce, separation or children matters please contact our Family Department for a free initial appointment on Eastbourne 01323 727321 or Hailsham 01323 841481.