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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

To stop abusive xh seeing our dc?

74 replies

Hadenough15 · 06/07/2015 17:49

Stbxh is an abusive prick. He's beaten me up and threatened me so many times in front of our dc,

A few months ago he had them for the weekend, on the Sunday he was 2 hours late (I had to collect from the park). He drove up to the side of me being abusive and threatening to kill me, all while the kids were with me.

He doesn't stick to seeing them, and can go weeks without actually asking too. He "can't" have them overnight, and when he does have them it's for 3 hours most until he gets bored.

He has a new gf. Been with her about 2 months. He's messaging me abuse because I don't want her around them. This is a woman who has sent me vile messages threatening me. They are both as bad as each other.

To top it off he doesn't pay a single penny, because "paying me is at the bottom of his list" and he "can't afford it".

I'm sick of him making my children cry. They haven't asked once to see him.

His family have all blocked me on fb so are obv not bothered.

He just messaged me "I'm taking your fat * arse to court you stupid c.u.n.t"

OP posts:
Penfold007 · 07/07/2015 07:37

Hadenough how are you this morning?

Reginafalangie · 07/07/2015 07:45

OP I am so sorry you are going through this.

You have been given some good advice please take it.
You need to change your number.
I would not be letting this man see the children unsupervised stuff the"right" he has, he lost that when he abused and beat their mother.

Give him an email address as the only wanton contact you and let him. Take you to court for access. You have a right to live without harassment and abuse. The police will not have said those things he is just saying that as a tactic so that you lose confidence and do not call them again. Please keep calling them.

downgraded · 07/07/2015 07:59

duckydinosaur wins the prize for most helpful comment on a thread EVER Hmm

WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant · 07/07/2015 08:04

Two secrete issues here.

The contact and the dv.

Contact needs to sorted through a solicitor/mediation centre agency.
You can ask for supervised contact, third party drop-off etc.
They will also see how the visits affect your dcs.

He dv needs reporting to the police. Now.
Keep all the awful messages, they are your evidence!

With those messages, it should help your case for him to have minimal supervised access.

If he manages to turn up to a supervised session, he might spend a couple of hours playing or doing something useful with dcs, that they might enjoy.

I have to admit to being a bit biased here. My ds does not want contact with his dad.
(Boring, grumpy, shouts all day, eats crap without feeding ds, smashes stuff up, lies, changes his opinion constantly...this is what ds has noticed, not me!)

We had a couple of visits after we split. Xp spent all his time being physically attached to new GF, ignoring ds.

Xp now can't be bothered to see ds, as I won't travel for 90 minutes to visit them.

We saw a solicitor, first hour was free. She said...

The parent who move away is the one to travel to the child's location.(unless they are going to an event, asked for by child etc)

He should be paying 20% of his income to support dcs. (20% of too lazy to get a job isn't worth claiming for...)

He is supposed to come and visit about once a month or sort of every half term.

Last year, started demanding that I took ds down to him to stay every weekend.
This was swiftly met with "sorry, I can't afford the petrol. Ds has swimming lessons at weekends, along with homework. You live in a dirty tiny house, ds has said he does not want to sleep on that awful sofa. And the only activity you offer him for the whole weekend is playing in your local park. If park is on offer, he would prefer the one with his friends in! "

Be strong. You are not alone.
You just need to find your support.

Hadenough15 · 07/07/2015 11:24

Thank you all. I'm so fed up today, been doctors to ask for counselling.

Rang womansaid and waiting for them to ring back

OP posts:
FujimotosElixir · 07/07/2015 11:31

im shocked the police are not taking that more seriously especially with history.

GoringBit · 07/07/2015 11:35

Good luck, Had, but (saying this kindly) you should have the post with the texts removed. Report to MNHQ and they'll do the honours.

I really hope things improve for you. Stay strong snd keep posting.

hesterton · 07/07/2015 11:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

penguinsaresmall · 07/07/2015 11:42

Contact can be arranged with third-party handovers or at a contact centre, and that's quite often a good way of getting rid of these abusive fathers: when they can't intimidate their XPs at handover, or get everything their own way, they move on and disappear.

Absolutely this.

I 100% believe that men who are abusive to the mothers of their children are being abusive to their children also, and as such should not be 'entitled' to any kind of contact - the onus should be on them to prove that they are safe and stable enough to see their DC and not cause them further harm.

But sadly, in reality, you will have to allow some kind of contact if your ex pushes for it. So a Contact Centre is the way to go. Sad but true but many of these abusive arseholes are only interested in contact as a way of continuing to abuse their ex. Hopefully he will get bored with having to pretend to be a decent person for a few hours a week and will crawl back under whatever rock he appeared from.

DawnMumsnet · 07/07/2015 11:55

Hi Hadenough15,

We're sorry you're going through such an awful time. Flowers

We just wondered if you'd like us to move your thread over to our Relationships topic? Just post here if so, or report your thread to us.

Hadenough15 · 07/07/2015 12:53

Yes please x

OP posts:
DawnMumsnet · 07/07/2015 13:00

That's fine - we're moving it over now.

cestlavielife · 07/07/2015 13:08

the law/courts/judges will do everything to support contact between children and their parent - so it is up to op to specify supervised only and reported/monitored at a controlled contact centre. (monitored and controlled - not just a volunteer run center)

maintenance/girlfriends are not relevant

the threats and harassment over phone must be reported to police.
op should change her number, advise ex to contact via newly set up email only/or new payg mobile number for the purpose

op needs to be squeaky clean and calm in any text /email from now on or court will just see it as tit for tat

op let him take you to court, say nothing more to him.

keep reporting to police.

KatyLovesKats · 07/07/2015 16:43

Hadenough, Ring Women's Aid and ask them to recommend a solicitor who is experienced in divorce. You will be entitled to Legal Aid, I think, if there has been domestic violence. Make an appointment to see the solicitor. He/she will talk you through your options.
Keep any text messages etc as evidence of the abuse. Let your GP and the children's schools know what is going on.

You don't have to put up with is behavior any longer, but you need to conduct yourself appropriately (which I'm sure you are doing).
Good luck.

43percentburnt · 07/07/2015 18:31

How are you now? Have you revisited the police? Your exes comments about what the police said are likely to be rubbish. I'd be surprised if any police officer said that.

You definitely need the domestic violence unit at your police force. They are trained in such matters and will carry out a DV questionnaire to assess your risk. They look at factors like, has he ever hurt a family pet? Has he ever put his hands on or around your throat in an argument. Both of these are high risk factors.

Supervised contact centre access is the way forward. Women's aid should have a DV solicitors details.

Good luck and don't give up, there are people who can help. You will be scared, feel confused and harassed. No doubt when your phone rings or beeps your heart sinks. Keep posting, lots of people here have been through similar. However these texts are very concerning. Please don't ignore for you and your kids sake.

cakesmith · 07/07/2015 18:51

I hope you had some useful information from women's aid.

Women's aid can help you get a non molestation order, and breaching that order is a criminal offence. Once you have a non molestation order in place, sending texts like that could well land your ex in jail.

I strongly suggest calling social services about the domestic violence your children have witnessed, and the effect it is having on them. They will do an assessment, and are likely to conclude that it is not safe for the children to have unsupervised contact with their father. Contact may well then be at a contact centre, where you and the children will have a support worker (often with a social work background) who can advise on how to move forward.

Until you have had some support and advice from social services, I think you would be very wise to suspend all contact. There's nothing he can do about this without dragging you through the courts, which will take time. Suspending contact is in the best interests of your children until you have more information about how to manage contact safely.

I would consider doing a runner and hiding somewhere safe for the time being. Is there somebody you can stay with? Please talk to women's aid urgently about your options.

It doesn't surprise me that you have been treated so badly by the police, but you were very unlucky because some police officers are excellent when it comes to dealing with domestic violence. I do think you need to ask to speak to the specialist domestic violence team.

Hadenough15 · 07/07/2015 18:58

I have rang social services and they were useless. Saying they wouldn't help with it because the children are not under a social worker.

I'm so fed up of feeling alone.

OP posts:
wishingchair · 07/07/2015 19:06

Did women's aid call back? x

cakesmith · 07/07/2015 19:47

Oh dear, sounds like you have been very badly supported!

Witnessing domestic violence is a safeguarding issue, and needs to be taken seriously. If your child is asking when daddy will burn the house down, then it is clearly affecting him!

How supportive is your children's school? If the school are willing to contact social services on your behalf, then this is more likely to be taken seriously. It might be worth speaking to whoever is responsible for safeguarding at the school. In any case, you ought to make the school aware of what is happening because of the impact it is having on the children.

Please keep calling women's aid. You do need some proper support. X

pocketsaviour · 07/07/2015 19:57

OP so sorry you're going through this.

I'm also very sorry the police have been shit so far.

Womens Aid are often more available on the phone in the evenings so might be worth trying again tonight?

babybarrister · 07/07/2015 20:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fairy13 · 08/07/2015 07:19

I found children's services really useless in my case (and I say that as a social worker!)
They advised that if I was concerned, it is my responsibility to stop contact to keep DS safe. That was it.
I would have liked them to advise me of the level of risk, to talk to me about safer options, ways of promoting contact in a safe way.
The trouble with their advice is, safe to who? he was violent when we were together, has a history of aggression (but never to DS) locked me in the house with DS to stop me leaving. Is contact safe or unsafe? Those actions were to me, not Ds,
It's a midfield and they were not helpful.

I did have a worker from an organisation called eip (domestic violence support worker) who was much more helpful x

Fairy13 · 08/07/2015 07:20

Sorry for the accidental unmumsnetty kiss!

kittybiscuits · 08/07/2015 18:04

Please don't give up. There is some poor, and also some great advice on this thread. Please hold out for women's aid. Please persist with the police. This bastard cannot threaten to kill you. Here's a kiss and it's not an accident x

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