Judge warns of damage done to child victims of parental ‘abduction’

Mr Justice Francis, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court, said children taken from one parent by another could suffer ‘untold harm’.
A judge in the Family Division of the High Court in London said parental “abduction” of children was a “scourge” (PA)
PA Archive
Brian Farmer4 April 2023
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

A High Court judge has warned of the damage done to children who become victims of “abduction” after finding themselves at the centre of parental disputes.

Mr Justice Francis said youngsters taken from one parent by another parent could suffer “untold harm”.

The judge, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court in London, said parental “abduction” of children was a “scourge”.

He raised concern when handing a delivery driver who had taken a child to Bulgaria a 15-month jail term.

Child abduction is a scourge on the children who are subjected to it

Mr Justice Francis

Mr Justice Francis concluded that Nedko Georgiev had breached orders aimed at getting the child back home to London and was in contempt of court.

Georgiev had taken the child to relatives in Bulgaria during the summer of 2022 without the agreement of ex-partner Yordanka Goranova, the judge heard.

Ms Goranova had begun legal action in the Family Division of the High Court in a bid to get her child back.

Judges had ordered Georgiev to take steps to ensure the child’s return.

Ms Goranova had then alleged that Georgiev had breached orders and was in contempt.

“Child abduction is a scourge on the children who are subjected to it,” said Mr Justice Francis, after considering Georgiev’s case at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

“It causes untold harm.”

He added: “The father has, I am sure, caused untold psychological harm to (this child), who is separated from him and from mother.”

Mr Justice Francis said the child at the centre of the dispute could not be named in media reports of the case.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in