My two top passions in life are children and food. In that order.
I have been informed and working alongside a good friend who has been failed immensley by DHS so I wanted to share to inform the people of Australia to start to take a stand as this needs to change.
First off this friend of mine I will call "Brad" has been in a relationship for 18 months old with his girlfriend "Sam".
Sam has a repeat history of alcohol abuse and domestic violence and had her first child taken off her. She has loss of licence indefinitely for repeatedly drink driving. She was a prostitute before she met Brad and heavy drug taker even during her recent pregnancy to Brad where she was admitted for heavy alcohol abuse and they thought they would lose the baby at 27 weeks gestation due to this vile woman not being able to control herself. Their baby is now 8 months old. Sam was pregnant within one month of them meeting.
Sam had plotted with her mother to leave Brad and called the cops one day to say he was physically abusing her. Brad has all of these texts of intention to do so and Viber messages between Sam and her mother. The cops escorted Brad off the property and laid charges. They would not listen to his side of the story.
Sam had Brad trespassed from his own house and had a DVO order placed on him. He was not allowed any contact with his baby. This was a hard time for Brad and he had nowhere to go. DHS were involved and said that Sam would not make such stories of abuse up and that he needed to get a Lawyer to see his child.
Brad hired a Lawyer and applied for custody of his child given Sam's history and current drinking and drug abuse.
First Court appearance came and Sam never showed up. Judge would not listen to Brad and case was adjourned.
Second Court case came around and Sam did not attend. By now she was in a woman's refuge playing victim with a new mobile number which Brad did not have and was not allowed. Sam kept sending Brad emails and videos of their baby every night for three weeks and there was NOTHING he could do. The first one said "she is the happiest when with her mother only".
He demanded and pleaded with DHS to reconsider and asked Police to drop charges as they were not true. Sam used this and she forged Brad's signature on a passport for the baby and she flew to a friend in New Zealand without Brad's knowledge. He discovered email times had changed and knew she must not of been in Australia.....he then applied through the Hague Convention for the child to be returned as she was abducted.
It took 4 weeks before authourities in NZ would even begin to co-operate because after all Brad was a "woman basher". Brad startd sinking he had no reason to live and our words could no longer comfort him. He rang and rang DHS and asked to speak to a male, he was informed there were no males working in the Victorian team. He said they were being sexist because he was a male and that his child was not safe with her mother. They still did not listen.
Medical records were subpoenad and also past criminal history by Brad's Lawyer and second affodavit was now being written, they had no forwarding address for Sam still to send this information to. Brad has recordings of phonecalls of Sam saying there was nothing he could do and nobody would believe that she made these things up and that he needed to drop Custody proceedings or she would completely ruin him.
Finally a call came through and Sam had been served the Hague Convention papers and attended Court in NZ. Brad flew over to collect his child and was staying at a motel. They all agreed for changeover to occur between the two. Sam arrived at motel and once there called 111 and had Brad arrested and said that he tried to kill her by strangling her. Brad was locked up from Friday night to Monday morning where he had to attend Court that morning. His passport was taken.
The NZ Judge said that he was to remain in NZ with a curfew until a full Court date was set for 6 weeks in the future. Brad had no income, near no money left and now a record in NZ. Still nobody would listen and the baby stayed with Sam.
His Lawyer sent through an urgent bail application and it was allowed. His passport returned and he was to be escorted onto his flight on the condition that he attend Court in person in NZ at a later date for charges "man assaults woman".
Sam rung Brad and aplogised and she told the Court she would return on her own freewill to hand over the baby and return back to Australia.
DHS would still not help Brad get his baby back even with he past records and knowing she did not turn up to 2 Court appearances. Brad's Lawyer told him she would be arrested immediately when arriving back in the country for fraud and for abducting baby and not appearing in Court. DHS did not care that she already had her last daughter taken off her and that supervised visits only were allowed three times a year.
Now Sam did arrive back about 3 weeks ago now and she was NOT arrested and she still has the care of the baby until their Court Case which is set for end of this month.
Brad's Lawyer said although she has a past and committed fraud that seen she has said he is now violent and made up stories, his chances are slim. He had not had his baby in his overnight care now for months. Sam dropped the baby while he was in NZ and he took photos of the marks on her head and still nobody in NZ would help him.
I can understand now why so many babies and children are dying in this country because there are not enough resources to help them and nobody is willing to go the extra mile and listen to both sides of the story.
**We all need to take a stand, cause a scene and get these poor defenceless babies protected! Authorities need to do their bloody job properly and view all of the facts and stop being so sexist, men are not the only violent ones in a relationship. Why is Australia so behind the times in regards to domestic violence???!!! there needs to be many more places for men who are victims of domestic violence! **
I am crossing my fingers and toes for Brad and I hope so much he gets his baby back and does not miss out on any time together. This baby deserves the best and safest care in a stable and warm environment free from violence and alcohol and drugs. This baby NEEDS Brad.
This is just one of thousands of stories I am sure where one parent is just not listened to. These babies are being failed in the justice sytem daily.