Father jailed for defying child custody order

A father has been sentenced to 45 days in prison by a family court, with the presiding judge warning that disobeying court orders in child custody cases was sending the wrong message.

According to Philenews, a family court handed down a 45-day prison sentence to a man, who was found to be in contempt of court in connection with a child custody case.

The man, who was ordered to deliver his two children to their mother, reportedly failed to comply with the ruling, which was issued back in June 2020 by a family court. It was not fully clear whether the decision included joined custody. 

A defence attorney for the father argued that his client had been trying to convince the children to have contact with their mother otherwise their dad would be locked up and they would end up having to stay with not their parent of choice, Philenews reported.

But the mother’s lawyer focused on the father’s failure to deliver the children to the mother, with the man’s attorney arguing back saying the children had been in contact with their mom in the last two months through a family-support setting, where a specialist was attempting to mend fences for better communication.

But the family court said actual compliance to court orders was of high importance for the proper functioning of a modern state.

“This is a serious offence, and committing it is an act that strikes at the very core of a court’s authority, a direct hit to the delivery of justice, which shakes the public’s confidence... especially concerning a court order to deliver children to the other parent.”

After handing down the jail sentence, the court requested to be kept abreast of developments, including any positive contribution on the part of the father, as it spelled out in the order, as well as ordered social services to provide as much support as possible so that the children are placed in the mother’s custody.