Advice needed: Mother takes child away to different country

[menguin]

A good friend of mine went through a breakup with his partner ~2 years ago. They have a young child. They live in the Channel Islands. They are currently going through various court battles over maintenance, shared residence etc. Just before the weekend she sent a message to him saying she'd taken their child to the UK and would no longer be contactable.

What exactly are the father's next steps?! Would contacting the police in the local area (he knows within a county where they are) help? Or is it a case of contacting his solicitor?

Any advice appreciated, he is rather understandably quite stressed by this.

[Zedboy1200]

No legal advice for you Menguin, but do nag your unfortunate pal to get lots of non-legal support too... Situations like these have a habit of dragging on for ages.

I'm 3 years 'in' and counting with an embittered ex as angry as a grouchy wasp still. Drive all his actions in the interest of the child, it's sooooo hard, but he will make it as a dad eventually as the rug rat will 'get it'.

[Tanguero]

menguin said:

A good friend of mine went through a breakup with his partner ~2 years ago. They have a young child. They live in the Channel Islands. They are currently going through various court battles over maintenance, shared residence etc. Just before the weekend she sent a message to him saying she'd taken their child to the UK and would no longer be contactable.

What exactly are the father's next steps?! Would contacting the police in the local area (he knows within a county where they are) help? Or is it a case of contacting his solicitor?

Any advice appreciated, he is rather understandably quite stressed by this.

He needs to speak to a family law specialist ASAP. Options include having the child made a ward of court, which would place movement constraints on the child with either parent without the courts agreement.

[Truffles]

Wouldn't the Jersey or Guernsey court have jurisdiction here rather than a UK (English) court?

[menguin]

Yes, I would think the CI courts would have jurisdiction, as they're already dealing with the case & both parents are residents of the CI. Thanks for the replies all, my (and all his other friends) have said the same. Contact your solicitor (he already has one who deals specifically with family law) and the police.