Judgments

The mother appealed against a DJ case management decision that a fact-finding hearing was not necessary; the father opposed the appeal. HHJ Arthur allowed the appeal and set aside the previous decision.

Care proceedings concerning baby of Romanian mother. Judgment finding that child was habitually resident in England

This case concerned an application by the Local Authority for the High Court to exercise its inherent jurisdiction to declare it lawful for the subject child, VW, to undergo cranio-facial surgery.

HHJ Robertson had to determine whether to resume the supervised contact arrangements in a contact centre or whether the father should have indirect contact only. The key concerns were the father’s inconsistency with contact and his impending criminal trial for harassment and an assault against the mother in 2019/2020. The criminal trial is due to be heard in April 2026.

This ex-tempore judgment was published by His Honour Judge Parker, sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge, in October 2025. HHJ Parker made a final care order for a 15 year old female to remain in a residential placement with deprivation of liberty safeguards in place for six months.

HHJ Reardon made an order, pursuant to s51A of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (ACA 2002), for contact between two pairs of adopted siblings in circumstances where the local authority had failed to comply with an earlier s26 order.

In these financial remedy proceedings, it is fair to say, the past came back to haunt the husband (H), who was the subject of divorce proceedings with his then wife (W). The decree absolute was pronounced 6th February 2002, nearly 24 years ago. The financial remedies case came the court in 2022, for the second time.

Application by a local authority for permission to disclose findings from concluded care proceedings to the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the context of an ongoing fitness to practise investigation.

Hearing before Peel J to determine W’s without notice application for
leave to apply under s13 of Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 (“the 1984 Act”) for an order for financial relief after an overseas divorce; and
an order under s46 of the Land Registration Act 2002 (“the LRA 2002”) that a restriction be entered against H’s London property, occupied by W.

This case concerns an application by the Mother to the High Court for permission to appeal aspects of a final order made in contested child arrangements proceedings. The Mother sought to appeal the lower court’s refusal to (1) change the child’s surname from that of the Father to that of the Mother, (2) extend an existing non-molestation order, and (3) make a costs order in her favour.

The Court of Appeal allowed an appeal by the local authority from a refusal to authorise separation of an infant from parents. The appeal concerned an eight-month-old girl, C, born in early April 2025, who is under the care of her parents and living with them at a residential unit.

This is the judgment for an appeal by the Mother against findings of fact in private law proceedings. The appeal was dismissed.

An appeal against duration a s91(14) order in long-running private law proceedings was granted in part by Mr Justice Harrison.

In Re J (A Child) Surrogacy: Adoption Order [2025] EWHC 2960, Ms Justice Henke stated, this case is a cautionary tale of ‘what can go wrong when strangers who meet through social media to bring a child into the world through surrogacy and when one or more of the parties take risks around the circumstances of conception’. In these protracted proceedings due to the parties misleading the court concerning genetic testing, Ms Justice Henke made an adoption order for J, a 2 1/2 year old.

The case concerned competing divorce proceedings between an Egyptian couple, married in Egypt in 1996 under a Christian (Coptic Evangelical) contract, with two adult children.

Application before Ms Justice Henke to commit a father for breaching orders relating to the return of a child from Algeria.