Rally over fathers' rights

A group calling for a change in the way fathers are treated in family courts have held a rally in central London.
Fathers 4 Justice organised the demonstration on Wednesday as part of its campaign of civil disobedience across the UK.

It wants divorced fathers to be given proper access to their children.

Michael Cox, the group's legal adviser, claimed 2,000 people took part in the protest marching to Temple Place via the Royal Courts of Justice and Lincoln's Inn Fields.

The rally follows a costumed roof-top protest at the Royal Courts of Justice which began on Tuesday.

'Reduced to pleading'

Campaigners Jolly Stanesby, from Ivybridge, Devon, and Eddie Goreckwi, from Romford, Essex, who are dressed up as Batman and Robin, are into the second day of their week-long protest.

Mr Cox said: "We were marching today to draw attention to the fact the family courts are failing to act in the best interests of our children.

"We want a legal presumption of contact. As parents men don't have a right to see their children following a divorce or separation.

"All they have is a right to apply to court to see their children but the courts are institutionally biased against the father.

"Fathers are reduced to pleading with the mother to see their children."

Previous action by campaigners includes painting the doors of court welfare offices purple - the international colour of equality.

Police said they are continuing to monitor the two men on the roof of the Royal Courts.

Batman Rooftop Protest

Two men dressed as Batman and Robin are holding a rooftop protest at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London over the treatment of fathers in the family courts.

Campaigners Jolly Stanesby, from Ivybridge, Devon, and Eddie Goreckwi, from Romford, Essex, climbed onto the roof of the building on The Strand just after 0400 BST on Tuesday.
Group spokesman Glen Poole said the men were a new group called “the caped crusaders for justice”.

He said they were hoping to draw attention to the group’s campaign to ensure divorced fathers were given proper access to their children.

The protesters had scaled the side of the court building in The Strand at just after 4am.
The men intended to remain on top of the Royal Courts of Justice for a week and had taken food, clothes and bedding with them, he added.

A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed that two men dressed as Batman and Robin were on the roof of the courts.
“We are monitoring the situation and trying to persuade them to come down,” he said.

Father's crane protest continues

Mr Stanesby has enough provisions to last for more than a week

A man who climbed 120 feet (36 metres) to the top of a crane in Exeter is entering the third day of his protest.

Jolly Stanesby, who is a member of a pressure group, Fathers 4 Justice, which speaks for men who say they are being denied access to their children, climbed the crane at the site of the new Crown Court at about 0700 BST on Wednesday.

Mr Stanesby said he will stay there for a week, but has enough provisions for longer.

Speaking to the BBC from a mobile phone in the crane's cab, he said he was a registered child-minder with no criminal record and that he only sees his daughter for two hours once a fortnight.

Actions endorsed

He said: "I just want to be able to share my daughter's life. There's no reason why I shouldn't."

Fathers 4 Justice said it endorsed Mr Stanesby's actions.

Contractors at the construction site said security was adequate and they could not explain how Mr Stanesby managed to climb to the top of the gantry.

Police are negotiating with him to bring him down and said they will review the case to see if any criminal offences are being committed.

Yet Another Building site brought to standstill by current wave of Outraged Father Protests

Police negotiators in Devon are trying to persuade a protester to come down from the top of a 120-feet high crane at a building site.

At about 0700 BST on Wednesday the man from Plymouth climbed to the top of the crane at the site of the new Crown Court in Exeter.

He is from a pressure group, Fathers 4 Justice, which campaigns for contact rights for fathers and he is threatening to stay on the crane for a week.

A crane driver is also in the cab and the machinery has been disabled.

Speaking to the BBC from a mobile phone in the crane's cab he said, despite being a registered child-minder with no criminal record, he only sees his daughter for two hours once a fortnight.

"I just want to be able to share my daughter's life," he said.

"There's no reason why I shouldn't.

"My daughter wants to be with me, and there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to have good contact with my daughter and in many cases it's the same."

PC Roy Adams said police will review the case to see if any criminal offences are being committed.

"The fact is that he has entered the building site as a trespasser and that's where any offence occurs," he said.

"Trespassing itself is not a matter which the police can take any action on."

'Adequate security'

Matthew O'Connor from Fathers 4 Justice says the protestor's food supplies could last longer than a week.

"That is not to say he could probably last for a month if he wants to," said Mr O'Connor.

"This is a well-organised, well-planned event by him.

"Fathers 4 Justice endorses this type of action, particularly direct action against family courts."

The main contractor at the site, Alfred McAlpine, says security is adequate and cannot explain how the man managed to climb to the top of the gantry