A recent judgment published by Mr Justice Harrison has shone a light on a harrowing international abduction and care proceedings case, with Coram Chambers’ Shiva Ancliffe KC representing the mother.
Ramanjit Kang, also of Coram Chambers, served as original junior counsel and contributed significantly before her maternity leave. Tara Vindis, instructed by the National Legal Service, stepped in to continue the case.
The case revolves around a seven-year-old girl, A, who was taken from Pakistan to England by her father in January 2024. The father insisted that the mother had given consent to the move. However, the mother recounted a different story: she was drugged, assaulted, and her daughter was abducted violently. Soon after, a video surfaced, allegedly showing the father engaged in child sexual abuse. The father responded with counter-allegations, accusing the mother and her family of organised crime and child abuse. These serious accusations led to court proceedings in both Pakistan and the United Kingdom, with the English court taking jurisdiction and ordering a fact-finding hearing.
After a thorough examination, the court found the father’s testimony to be dishonest and manipulative. He had fabricated abuse allegations against the mother and coached A to repeat them. The judge accepted the mother’s description of the violent abduction, yet found she had exaggerated some claims and lied about the origin of the video. Nonetheless, the father’s allegations against the maternal family were entirely baseless.
Ultimately, the court concluded that A suffered significant emotional harm, mainly due to her father’s actions. The father’s conduct, including alienation and coercion, compromised A’s psychological safety. Although neither parent was found to be wholly reliable, the immediate risk to A was far greater with the father.
This judgment reinforces the courts’ responsibility to prioritise the child’s welfare, even when both parents have been less than candid. The case highlights the expertise and dedication of Shiva Ancliffe KC, Ramanjit Kang, Tara Vindis, and the Coram Chambers team in handling parallel abduction and care proceedings. The committed work of solicitor Adelina Morku and her assistant Anthony Starnes was also instrumental in achieving the outcome.
