fbpx

Court Stresses Need for Facts in Child Residence Dispute

23rd November 2016 By

Divorces with an international dimension are often complex and, where the question arises as to which parent will look after children and in which country, the courts are often involved.

When making these decisions, the courts will always put the child’s interests first. When the child is mature enough to express their view, their wishes will carry a great deal of weight. In the case of younger children, the question of the child’s ‘habitual residence’ will weigh more heavily.

The child at the centre of a recent court tussle was only three years old when her parents’ dispute came to court. Her father claimed she was habitually resident in England and Wales, whereas her mother claimed she was habitually resident in New York. As is not uncommon, the child had actually spent time in several different countries already.

The court will of course pay attention to which parent the child appears to be closer to and which is most able to provide a stable and loving home. Normally, these issues are at best clouded by disagreement between the parents as there is seldom any degree of concord in their statements.

In addition, the practical approach taken by the courts is informative in such cases. It looks at the facts applicable to the situation:

  • Where the child has in fact spent time;
  • Where his or her friends are;
  • What the child’s interests and hobbies are and how their pursuit of these will be affected; and
  • The relative importance of these.

After considering these factors in detail, the High Court concluded that the girl was habitually resident in the UK.

Source: Concious

Latest News

Tenants Can Purchase Freehold When Landlord Cannot Be Found

11th June, 2024 By

The Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 gives qualifying leaseholders the right to join together to buy the freehold of their properties – a process known as collective enfranchisement. A recent case demonstrated that this right can be exercised even when the landlord cannot be found. The leaseholders of two flats in a terraced house wished to purchase it from the landlord, but were unable to ascertain his whereabouts and therefore could not serve notice on him under Section 13 of the Act. They therefore applied for an...

Court Refuses to Set Aside Divorce Order Applied for by Mistake

6th June, 2024 By

While the courts have a range of powers to set aside orders, they will only exercise them in limited circumstances. In a somewhat surprising case that has attracted much comment, the High Court declined to set aside a final order of divorce that had been applied for by mistake. A couple separated in January 2023, after more than 21 years of marriage. In October that year, while financial remedy proceedings were still ongoing, the wife's legal representatives inadvertently applied for a final order of divorce in respect of her instead...

Waiting Time for Grants of Probate Falls

3rd June, 2024 By

Following concerns last year about delays in processing probate applications, recent figures from HM Courts and Tribunals Service show that waiting times for grants of probate are continuing to improve. The average time from submission of a probate application to probate being granted fell to 11.3 weeks in March 2024, a decrease from 13.7 weeks in February and 13.8 weeks in January. This is the lowest figure since March 2023, when the average was 10.8 weeks. The longest waiting time since then was in November, at 15.8 weeks: that month,...

Late Appeal Against Tax Penalties Rejected

31st May, 2024 By

It is incumbent on taxpayers to make sure they fully comply with their obligations to file returns and pay any tax due. The point was illustrated by a recent case in which a taxpayer whose return had not been received by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) failed to persuade the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) that he should be permitted to appeal against the resulting penalties. On the evening of 31 January 2014, the man had completed his 2012/13 Income Tax return on HMRC's website. Shortly afterwards he went to Cyprus, and...