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AIBU to try and stop all contact between DD and her Dad?

3 replies

letitgoletitgoletitgo · 26/05/2014 19:29

I'll try not to drip feed:
Ex and I split up 2 1/2 years ago, we have a 3 year old DD. We've been going through the family court system for nearly 2 years. my ex was physically and emotionally abusive and my DD and I had to live in refuge for 6 months.
At the moment the current contact order is for every other week , 2 hours supported contact in a contact centre.
My ex has had to engage in a perpetrator programme as part of the contact order.
My ex has also had issues with drugs and alcohol to which he has always minimised or flat out denied. I have tried to make the court believe me that he is unstable until I am blue in the face but he is such a good manipulator that for example, when I requested they do a drugs test he admitted to smoking 'a small amount' of weed and so the court said well theres no need to test him for class A drugs because why would he has been honest about weed so why would he lie about anything else??!
Anyway, contact had been going well I suppose and he always turned up (however we were in contact a lot, and at times he has tried to worm his way back into my life, and regrettably, I have slept with him on about 3 occasions). Then all of a sudden he decides that he can't bare to communicate with me any more and starts being either late or not showing up for contact at all. My DD has noticed the change and the last time we went to the contact centre she cried and said 'mummy please stay with me , I want to go home'. Well, he didn't turn up anyway. later that week I get bombarded with information from him as he now feels he needs to reveal that in fact, he has been smoking cannabis pretty much the whole time (except for a 3 month period prior to knowing he would be drug tested), has spent time as a full blown alcoholic and also used cocaine on several occasions. In addition to this he told me h has had sexual relations with other women , including a prostitute . So I will need to be STD tested (he told me hadn't slept with anyone else since we split).
My reaction to all this, is basically, I don't want him anywhere near my daughter again. I feel he has made 0 effort to try and change his life so he can see her. All he has done is lie and let her down. He's put himself and drugs first. AIBU to feel his way? I don't think the court will consider unsupervised contact now, and my ex has even owned up and said in his own words:
"I am totally failing to meet the basic emotional (and other) requirements that it takes to offer a young child a stable parent, and a stable life, something that is affecting DD's emotional health" (this is in email to my solicitor).
I feel he will never change and despite how badly he treated me I have tried everything to encourage him to be a dad to our daughter. I can't believe I fell for it once again. But I whole heartedly believe that he will let her down and hurt her if he is allowed to remain a part of her life. My DD needs stability and I can provide that on my own.
Do you think the court will see my point>? Has anyone else been through similar ? And AIBU?

Sorry mega long post...

As a side point: Does anyone know if he could face criminal charges for lying in court?

OP posts:
Pinkballoon · 26/05/2014 21:06

Sympathies. Am awaiting court contact papers from my ex (Alcoholic, Coke addict, Sex addict, Liar, Cheat, No Fixed Abode.) Keep being threatened with them, but never receive them.

In terms of the lying, mine has sat bare faced lying at hearings (financial) and no come back. I think the courts see it so much that little is done about it.

The only thing that you can do is explain your position to CAFCASS and the court and show them the email he sent. Sounds like he's on a massive downer. I'd say that the silences are probably women and alcohol induced. I wonder why he is giving you all this information all of a sudden??

letitgoletitgoletitgo · 26/05/2014 21:36

thank you so much for your reply. my sympathies are with you too, do you think your ex is definitely going to go through with court or is it all threats?
The blurting out of information has happened on a few occasions, its always followed with 'and now I've changed because..' this time apparently he is owning up and REALLY HAS CHANGED because he's started going to meditation classes at the Buddhist centre LOL!
You're right though, will just have to explain myself to court. Little worried as i'll be in breach of the current contact order if I stop contact now, but I can't bare to see him again, let alone hand over my precious little girl. I suppose may need to prepare myself for the fact that they may insist on him still seeing her as he has built some sort of relationship with her so far :( and I agreed to it (wouldn't have done if I'd known the truth!)

OP posts:
Pinkballoon · 26/05/2014 21:55

Can you get in contact with CAFCASS before the next meeting and explain what's happened? I would also write to the court and get a letter on your file explaining what has happened, so no one can say that you haven't pre warned them. I think his emails need to be seen by the court and CAFCASS and explained.

Well at least the Buddhist Centre have achieved something! Perhaps he just had such a massive down that it turned him around and got him to the Buddhist Centre.

Not sure about my one. Hasn't seen her for 4 months now, but at the same time shows absolutely no interest in her day-to-day life i.e. nursery, illness (had to go into hospital - zero interest from him) etc. Just sends me intermittent letters asking for my 'proposals.' I think he is putting together paperwork because his family are probably asking him what's happening and he can't tell them that I'm stopping access because he's an alcoholic/ coke head etc., so he's putting on a good show for them. Suspect there might also be a woman on the scene - hence long periods of silence, then bursts of contact. He's taken on a very cold condescending and at times aggressive tone - which I suspect is the coke/ female influences etc.

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