Ex refusing I return 3yo after contact

[Mooey89]

Contact 10-4 Saturdays. No overnights due to catalogue of concerns re home environment/domestic abuse
Waiting for court on Dec 5th.

Went for contact today, due home at 4, text saying he is keeping him overnight will return him tomorrow at 6 and there is nothing I can do about it. DS hadnt stayed overnight there for 6 months. He left this morning thinking he would be coming back to me after.

Police can't do anything without a court order.
He's also stopped maintenance this month to 'punish' me.

He's such a cunt.

Collect him and don't argue or anything. Be as calm as possible and try and act like it's ok. Then you can't start war once you have him home. Horrible situation OP. He sounds like an absolute twat.

Agree collect him, don't argue or react, then speak to solicitor about stopping contact.

Hope DS is ok

Guess things didn't go the way he expected. Good luck for the pick up. I hope you can keep your cool.

Agree collect him calmly. Say nothing about him keeping him. Get your boy back then take action.

He's found a three year old is hard work 😉

Hope DS is ok. For what it's worth I think you are handling this amazingly. I would have probably spent the entire night having panic attack after panic attack.

Have your phone on record in your pocket when you get him. Good luck.

Covert surveillance will add what? He isnt going to deny keeping him overnight is he?

Queen- incase he says anything abusive, incase he is nasty? OP has already said there has been dv in relationship.
You haven't helped op you are just slating pp advise. Unless you have been in a situation like this you don't know. If you haven't got anything helpful to say.... maybe just don't comment. OP is obviously having a hard time.

www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed160225

may not help....from this article:

What do the courts make of covert recording?
Court attitudes vary enormously. Some judges will immediately baulk at the idea of introducing covert recordings into a case and object strongly to the making of the recording in the first place. One judge 'instinctively' felt that it was wrong.

Non lawyers really think it is just that simple to record evidence. But it isnt that simple.

You haven't helped op you are just slating pp advise. Unless you have been in a situation like this you don't know. If you haven't got anything helpful to say.... maybe just don't comment. OP is obviously having a hard time.

Gizmo you havent read the thread VERY clearly. I told her earlier get a court order for contact with a penal notie attached which means he will be arrested if he breaches the order. That isnt helpful advice is it?

I AM a solicitor Gizmo and I trust you are not by your comments. I've been through this countless times. Recording secretly: well good luck getting it admitted in court. It just isnt that simple.

You are all the ones giving her advice that is not that helpful.

Ive been constructive and told her to get a penal notice with any contact order.

Ok Im out now. Continue telling her to record conversations as oh so helpful advice

*Penal notice

I never told her to record that was a pp. You may be a solicitor but I couldn't give 2 shits. I told her to collect dc calmly if you re read. Being a solicitor and that!

Hope you don't speak like that at work Queen

OP have you collected you DC? Are they OK?

I would record fully in the knowledge that it may be of no use at all. I would just want to cover all bases where possible. You just never know what could happen. If he got violent then there is more than just her DPs word about what happened.

Did you manage to pick your ds up? Is he ok op?

He's back. No recordings here - I know from work, they are not admissible in court.

He's back, safe. Filthy dirty, but he's back.

Glad you've got him OP. Take pictures and record everything you can properly now and get straight into the solicitor tomorrow.

Glad he's safe. Good luck blocking contact visits.

Pleased to hear he is safe.

Blimey what an arsehole!
Clearly looking after a theee year old was harder than he thought it would be!
I agree with most other people - stop contact until you've been to court.

So relieved you have him back. Did he say anything about the situation?

Glad to hear he's safe but he's filthy dirty?! How?! Take pics as evidence. How is he? Was he upset at being away unexpectedly? Poor little guy

It isn't that simple to get power of arrest attached to an order either. It will only be considered if an order is breached