If you needed to leave the country quickly...

[need2escape]

And as quietly as possible, where would you start?

Name change and shameless post here for traffic.

Not doing anything illegal such as child abduction. Just may need to leave the country as quickly as possible and return to my home country.

No family here to help, some friends but not sure how much they could assist.

Own house which is mortgaged, car on finance, small loan, credit cards, phone contracts, the usual.

And my job.

House full of possessions I wouldn't really need to take with me.

Where would you begin?

Something to note is that finance companies and mortgage companies are sympathetic to DV victims and if you call them and let them know your story they may suspend any further payments and interest immediately to help you - but I wouldn't say you are skipping the country, but I would def set up a local poa to deal with things for you once left as if nothing else you will be on a different timeline.

Exactly.
If she’s worried her ex is watching her every move and might attack or kidnap her if he figures out she’s leaving the country then she might need to involve police. But she doesn’t need to hide the fact she’s going back to Australia from the authorities at all and once she’s there and the baby is born her ex won’t be able to insist the baby move to the UK. He might be able to go to court (in Australia) and get visiting rights but he won’t be able to stop OP and the baby living near her family in Aus.

OP could you go now and lock up the house?
Do you have a friend you could leave the house key and car key with?

You could go home, have the baby. Once the baby is eg 6 months old you could come back on a short visit, leave baby with family and sort things out.
It's not ideal to leave baby for eg a week but it would be better than getting stuck here. After that you could look for work.
I realise you need money now but realistically you need to sort out the house and I think you need to get out of the UK first.
That is the priority, so the baby is not born here, and then you can worry about the practicalities later. Just make sure you take paperwork and other necessities.

Interesting, why Northern Ireland? Why not just buy a bus or train ticket to Scotland/Wales/England?

Sorry if this has already been suggested but I would get a loan secured against your house which should be reasonably quick and easy since you have a lot of equity, and then leave asap. There’s no way you will sell the house quickly enough.

Leave a set of keys with a trusted friend or a solicitor and sort out everything else from overseas.

I think the idea is that it is further away and more difficult for the ex to find her and she could easily cross the border into Ireland, but I think the priority is to get to Australia and give birth there. Everything else can wait.

BTW, I once sold a house in Sydney, when I was back in the UK. Signed all the docs at my solicitor's office here, then faxed them to Australia. It's even easier now with electronic documentation.

Sorry everyone just catching up, I am safe.

There was a pp who said they would like to hear the other side of the story which is fair enough, I understand we have to take peoples word for things on here.

To be clear I'm not trying to take my baby vindictively away from its Father. This would obviously be a huge upheaval to me, stressful, and I have lived her many years and have a life here. I'm not taking it lightly at all. I don't want to go into full circumstances in case it's identifiable.

What's the deadline for flying? Have you money or cards to buy a ticket? I'd sort that first then work backwards.

Go off sick so they trigger mat leave, then you don't have to worry about notice periods.

Fly out as soon as you can given needing to see GP, possibly work stuff etc.

Go through the house and work out what fits in a suitcase suitable for a heavily pregnant woman to carry. Any important documents, ALL ID, things that give you love. The rest is stuff.

One friend he doesn't know who will hold a key for you and pass it on.

Call work from Aus, explain you've FLED for your safety and hand in your notice. You'll need to pay back mat leave but tell them what you can afford.

Get legal help with the property. If there's good furniture in it, would a charity clear it out for stuff to sell? You'll lose money but you'll have to sell it as seen.

@bringmetheheadofpastaalfredo - I am in no way suggesting that it was or is a James Bond film. Someone else, up thread suggested the travelling to Northern Ireland. I was just suggesting a way that the OP might be able to travel to Australia but outside of the jurisdiction of the UK so flying from Dublin or onwards to Europe either by boat or plane. Once she is outside of the UK it might be cheaper to travel by train for a few days and then fly from one of the European hub airports. That was all. It's also just a suggestion. No need to single out my suggestion out of all of the others that have been made.

Call work from Aus, explain you've FLED for your safety and hand in your notice. You'll need to pay back mat leave but tell them what you can afford

you only have to pay enhanced back, not the statutory

OP, those of us that understands, understands
No need to explain anything at all.
You're just here for advice not to answer to nosey people

I would engage a solicitor and give POA. Engage an estate agent give them the keys. Put the house on the market when you are home.
You can do most things from home like contact banks etc.. Just say you need to get home for a sick relative. No one needs to know the full stoty.
You got some good advise above.
Take some time off sick and get cracking. Best of luck

But it doesn’t matter whether or not she is in the UK until the baby is born. It’s only the place of the baby’s birth that is relevant.

Paying back your PCP may not be as much as you think. I think you have to be half way through the contract for it to cost nothing, but it may not be as bad as you fear. A quick phone call to the finance co will tell you.

Good luck.

Lots of advice to get a solicitor with POA.
Worried I can't afford this but think it was suggested before to try and find someone who would take it off house sale funds when completed?

I have a valid Australian passport too and I am an Australian citizen so that isn't an issue.

I am entitled to enchanted maternity pay, it's 26 weeks so quite a bit if I have to pay it back.

I do have some funds available on CCs which I would use to pay for my flight. Not sure if I'd get any other CCs or loans to cover myself but I could try.

I've fled with a toddler.

It's no one's business but yours.

Take the SML and go.

Give work notice. Book a flight and get your FTF sorted. Pack a couple of cases with everything essential. Arrange shipping for anything else you want to keep. Get house clearance in for the rest. Arrange to sell your house by the most expedient means possible, even if it means taking a hit on the price. Sell car to webuyanycar. Fly to Australia. Live off equity until baby is old enough for you to return to work.

Alternatively disappear for a 'holiday' as late as you can. Have baby there, and return without baby as soon as you're able to to sort out your affairs.

This is a great idea.
I'm going to write a to do list this evening off all the advice on here and what I think realistically I can do and work with and go from there.

She can't sell the car to webuyanycar as technically it doesn't belong to her.

OP, have you heard of www.sendmybag.com? You can send boxes or suitcases to Australia - I've used that company to send bags within this country and they are brilliant.

Also if you do instruct an estate agent to sell your house, ask they don’t put up board at any time during the sale process (due to neighbour issues I asked for no for sale board only for one to appear when offer accepted!)

A key safe might be useful for you. Somewhere discreet, eg not right by the front door where the ex might see it, but somewhere you could easily direct people to. Then you can let whoever needs access eg estate agent, house clearance chap know the code and they can get hold of the key. They're not expensive, about £15?

Also if you ring in sick, as some PPs have suggested, this might impact on the GP's ability to write a fit note? Just worth checking.

You could just leave what you don't want in the property and reflect the hassle of clearance in the property price.

@need2escape I did something similar (also abusive) and made sure he wasn't put on the birth certificate in the country our son was born in or the father would have been able to stop me leaving the country. just in case you don't manage to leave in time - please bear that in mind.

Best of luck OP. I admire your bravery. I wish you and baby all the best.

Re PCP - have you paid at least 50% of the loan back? If so, you can end the contract.

www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/buying-and-running-a-car/cut-your-car-finance-hire-purchase-and-other-finance-costs

OP, are you aware of the Hague Convention?

www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/full-text/?cid=24

fhanna.co.uk/family/Hague-Convention-cases#:~:text=The%201980%20'Hague%20Convention%20on,be%20decided%20upon%20by%20the

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hague_Convention_on_the_Civil_Aspects_of_International_Child_Abduction