Protest held over fathers' rights
Protesters from a fathers' rights group have brought traffic to a near standstill on some of London's key roads. The men from Fathers 4 Justice (F4J) climbed onto gantries on the A13, A2, M4, and A40.
Roads were closed for a short period while police assessed the scene but they have since reopened.
The protests are part of a campaign of events by F4J to raise awareness of the plight of divorced fathers.
A spokesman for the group said that the protests were the beginning of a full scale campaign of civil disruption.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman confirmed on Monday that the Metropolitan Police's public order branch was policing a "number of demonstrations" across the city.
She said police were alerted to a man on a gantry above the eastbound section of the A40 in White City at 0730 GMT, but traffic was flowing.
In another demonstration a man had climbed on the gantry above the westbound carriageway of the A13 near Prince Regents Lane.
And another man had climbed a gantry near Canning Town flyover.
At about 0812 GMT police were told about two men on the Blackwall Tunnel northbound entrance, southern approach. The entrance was later closed for safety reasons.
Scotland Yard said the two men were later arrested.
Police were also informed of another protest where a man had climbed on the gantry of the M4 elevated section eastbound into London.
There was no disruption to traffic in this protest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A group campaigning for fathers' rights warned yesterday that a series of protests on bridges and gantries which caused widespread chaos was "just the start" of a national campaign of civil disruption involving roads, railways and the courts.
Activists from Fathers 4 Justice scaled bridges and gantries in London, Bristol and Newcastle-upon-Tyne yesterday, disrupting traffic.
Police closed the Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol when four protesters, dressed as Batman, Robin, Superman and Spider-Man, climbed up it at 5.30am.
The group has also announced it is to start a new campaign of direct action on Merseyside - sending protesters to lobby the homes of solicitors, barristers and judges.
In Bristol, Fathers 4 Justice's spokesman, Jeff Skinner, said: "All motorists have been denied access to the suspension bridge this morning, as all our members are denied access to their children."
The bridge was closed for safety reasons and motorists in the Clifton and Leigh Woods districts of the city were warned to expect long delays.
In south London, two men demonstrating on a gantry at the entrance of the Blackwall tunnel were arrested.
Scotland Yard said they had been brought down as it was feared they presented a danger to traffic.
One of the men was Jolly Stanesby, 35, a childminder from Devon, who last Friday ended a week-long protest on a gantry over the Tamar bridge near Plymouth.
Protests were also staged on bridges above the A13, A2, M4 and A40 in London.
The first activist climbed on to a gantry above the A40 at around 7.30am.
The organisation's founder, Matt O'Connor, said activists were planning a campaign of widespread civil disobedience.
"If you give a father no options, you leave him no choice," Mr O'Connor said at a press conference yesterday. "Fatherhood is under attack in a way inconceivable 30 years ago."
A spokesman for the force said: "Anyone is entitled to protest peacefully in this country. This was a peaceful protest."
Friday, 29 October 2004
Saturday, 23 October 2004
Family law conference
Fathers 4 Justice protestors have overpowered police and stormed a conference on family law, setting off smoke bombs and flares and forcing the evacuation of the building.
The fathers' rights group was hoping to get the chance to remonstrate with the children and families minister, Lord Filkin, outside the conference venue, which is next to the Regent's canal in north London.
The group's spokesman, Matt O'Connor, told SocietyGuardian.co.uk that the minister could have found himself "in at the deep end".
Acting on a tip-off, the police stationed three divers and a dinghy in the canal as a precaution, and more than 30 policemen were brought in to guard the conference centre.
But the group's plan to confront Lord Filkin was thwarted by the fact that he had been reshuffled out of his family law role in September. His replacement, Baroness Ashton, addressed the conference before the protestors arrived.
The protest began at 11.30 when two men, one an able-bodied man in a wheelchair, had attempted to gain access to the conference run by the charity Children Law UK, after registering as members of a bogus organisation.
Their names were passed on to the Metropolitan police who identified them as members of the group Fathers 4 Justice, and they were turned away at the door.
The plan had been for the man in the wheelchair to "stage a miraculous recovery" in the conference hall and disrupt the meeting, said Mr O'Connor.
Fifteen policemen and police divers had been drafted in after the organisers got wind of the operation: but at lunchtime 15 protestors overpowered police on the door and set off flares in the foyer.
Fire alarms were set off, forcing the building, which is home to the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, to be evacuated.
Around 20 extra police were brought in and prevented the men from gaining access to the conference hall. Eight men were arrested.
The conference has now restarted and is due to be addressed by Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, the head of the family division at the high court.
Mr O'Connor said: "We have had a protest outside the family law conference. Unfortunately our original plan was rumbled but we got 15 people inside and flares were set off after two policemen were overpowered.
"There are policemen in a dinghy on the canal. The conference has restarted but we want to make as much noise as possible."
He said the stunt was prompted by an interview with Lord Filkin published in the Guardian yesterday, in which the minister described as "wet" those fathers who did not persist in getting contact with their children after the first knockback.
"Well, we are beside a canal," said Mr O'Connor. "He could have been in at the deep end."
Glyn Farrow, the spokesman for the conference organisers, said: "Children Law UK appreciates the experience of fathers who have been unable to maintain contact with their children.
The fathers' rights group was hoping to get the chance to remonstrate with the children and families minister, Lord Filkin, outside the conference venue, which is next to the Regent's canal in north London.
The group's spokesman, Matt O'Connor, told SocietyGuardian.co.uk that the minister could have found himself "in at the deep end".
Acting on a tip-off, the police stationed three divers and a dinghy in the canal as a precaution, and more than 30 policemen were brought in to guard the conference centre.
But the group's plan to confront Lord Filkin was thwarted by the fact that he had been reshuffled out of his family law role in September. His replacement, Baroness Ashton, addressed the conference before the protestors arrived.
The protest began at 11.30 when two men, one an able-bodied man in a wheelchair, had attempted to gain access to the conference run by the charity Children Law UK, after registering as members of a bogus organisation.
Their names were passed on to the Metropolitan police who identified them as members of the group Fathers 4 Justice, and they were turned away at the door.
The plan had been for the man in the wheelchair to "stage a miraculous recovery" in the conference hall and disrupt the meeting, said Mr O'Connor.
Fifteen policemen and police divers had been drafted in after the organisers got wind of the operation: but at lunchtime 15 protestors overpowered police on the door and set off flares in the foyer.
Fire alarms were set off, forcing the building, which is home to the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, to be evacuated.
Around 20 extra police were brought in and prevented the men from gaining access to the conference hall. Eight men were arrested.
The conference has now restarted and is due to be addressed by Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, the head of the family division at the high court.
Mr O'Connor said: "We have had a protest outside the family law conference. Unfortunately our original plan was rumbled but we got 15 people inside and flares were set off after two policemen were overpowered.
"There are policemen in a dinghy on the canal. The conference has restarted but we want to make as much noise as possible."
He said the stunt was prompted by an interview with Lord Filkin published in the Guardian yesterday, in which the minister described as "wet" those fathers who did not persist in getting contact with their children after the first knockback.
"Well, we are beside a canal," said Mr O'Connor. "He could have been in at the deep end."
Glyn Farrow, the spokesman for the conference organisers, said: "Children Law UK appreciates the experience of fathers who have been unable to maintain contact with their children.
Monday, 20 September 2004
Bristol County court
Two Fathers 4 Justice campaigners dressed as Batman and Robin were among 16 people arrested on Monday.
The pair had mounted a rooftop protest outside Bristol County Court where Buckingham Palace protester Jason Hatch was attending a hearing.
The men, a 34-year-old from Bristol, and a 52-year-old from west Wales, came down of their own accord.
However, two more protesters, including one in a Spiderman mask, remained perched on the roof for most of the afternoon. Jolly Stanesby was dressed as Spiderman and Gary Swain is dressed in his decontamination suit.
Meanwhile, a Fathers 4 Justice campaigner in a Spiderman mask and another in a decontamination suit protested from the roof of the County Court.
The man in the decontamination suit was said to be there to "clean up" family law.
They remained there for the afternoon, before coming down by late evening, when they were arrested.
The other people arrested include 60-year-old Carmen Taylor from Bristol, and the campaign group's founder Matt O'Connor.
Mrs Taylor said she was supporting her son, Nigel Clay, who said he was proud as his mother was placed into a police van after being arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
"My mother is an active grandma and sees how unfairly fathers are treated by the courts," he said.
The pair had mounted a rooftop protest outside Bristol County Court where Buckingham Palace protester Jason Hatch was attending a hearing.
The men, a 34-year-old from Bristol, and a 52-year-old from west Wales, came down of their own accord.
However, two more protesters, including one in a Spiderman mask, remained perched on the roof for most of the afternoon. Jolly Stanesby was dressed as Spiderman and Gary Swain is dressed in his decontamination suit.
Meanwhile, a Fathers 4 Justice campaigner in a Spiderman mask and another in a decontamination suit protested from the roof of the County Court.
The man in the decontamination suit was said to be there to "clean up" family law.
They remained there for the afternoon, before coming down by late evening, when they were arrested.
The other people arrested include 60-year-old Carmen Taylor from Bristol, and the campaign group's founder Matt O'Connor.
Mrs Taylor said she was supporting her son, Nigel Clay, who said he was proud as his mother was placed into a police van after being arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
"My mother is an active grandma and sees how unfairly fathers are treated by the courts," he said.
Monday, 13 September 2004
Campaigning in the name of the father
I T WAS a compelling spectacle. Someone dressed as Batman had breached the security of Buckingham Palace and was standing on a ledge protesting about fathers' rights. The demonstration was being broadcast live on TV. We watched as police officers tried to talk him on to a balcony.
It would be difficult not to find this at least a bit amusing. Except that when you get past that initial response you realise that this is desperately sad. The father in question was Jason Hatch, a 32-year-old painter and decorator from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He unfurled a banner which read "Super Dads Of Fathers 4 Justice - fighting for your right to your kids".
This was the second big headline-grabbing protest by a member of Fathers 4 Justice (F4J). On May 19 another campaigner set off a similar security scare when he threw harmless purple powder at MPs in the House of Commons.
The controversy over royal security following Monday's stunt has put F4J back in the national spotlight, and that's just how they want it.
It would be easy to dismiss these campaigners as a collection of aggrieved mavericks. It would be too easy to look no further than the comicality of a father dressed as a caped crusader who has scaled one of the nation's landmark buildings.
But Jason Hatch was by no means the first to resort to such tactics.
And the question that begs is this: why do these fathers feel they have no alternative in making themselves heard? Look beyond the obvious and this becomes a heart-rending and vexed issue of our times that touches on the lives of thousands of separating couples. The fathers feel as if they have been rendered almost invisible by the family courts.
The group is campaigning for equality in law for both parents over access to their children following divorce. At present there is no legal assumption of access or shared custody. And all too often the big losers in all of this, the ones who often suffer most from the tug-of-love and rivalry between a separated couple, are the children trying to come to terms with it.
The statistics highlight the scale of the problem. There were more than 147,000 divorces in England and Wales in 2002, the highest since 1996. Fathers 4 Justice calculates that 650 children a day have parents who separate or divorce - 237,250 children were affected in 2001.
Forty per cent of marriages end in separation.
That adds up to a lot of heartbreak and scattered homes.
It is no longer just a problem for individuals, but it is so widespread that it is a major social problem.
It is further compounded by the thorniness of the divorce and settlement process, involving Cafcass (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service), the CSA (Child Support Agency), and the ensuing custody and access hearings.
It means a father or a mother can lose thousands of pounds, even their livelihood, as the legal fees pile up.
The disputes can continue for years without resolution.
So, for these fathers, high-profile protests are the only way of getting wider society, the Government and the judiciary to take notice.
The thinking behind F4j's peaceful "direct action" protests was adopted from Greenpeace. And they are starting to achieve results, with both the Government and the Opposition being forced to examine the reform of family law.
Matt O'Connor, who founded Fathers 4 Justice in December 2002, explained: "We've got so many people wanting to join that we are struggling to cope." The seriousness of that message was underlined in July when F4J produced a document called A Blueprint For Family Law In The 21st Century: The Case For Urgent, Radical Reform.
But why should it have come to this? Jolly Stanesby, 38, from Ivybridge, has been one of the most prominent and prolific of the F4J campaigners. He separated from his partner in 2000 and is seeking more regular contact with their four-year-old daughter. His protests have included three days atop a crane in Exeter last September, three days on London's Tower Bridge in December, and seven days up the Tamar Bridge in January.
He explained: "What else can we do? If we didn't do it with some humour we'd be looked at as grumpy dads.
"But really, this is not a funny issue. If someone had a conviction for hitting someone or beating someone up, then I could understand why they couldn't see their children. But there should be equal rights unless there's a good reason otherwise." Mr Stanesby believes the system needs to be simplified and a greater emphasis placed on mediation.
Another Westcountry father, who has asked not to be named, explained the determination of the campaigners: "A parent's bond with their child is the strongest and most powerful they will ever have with anyone. It doesn't just end because the court says so." He has been campaigning for greater access to his six-year-old daughter.
"I have to apply to see my girl, and I'm her father, yet there's no suggestion that I'm a threat to anyone," he said.
"My ex-wife now has a new boyfriend and he can see my daughter at any time, without any checks. Where is the sense in that? "When I don't have access, I'm not allowed to write to her or phone her. This has been very painful for my daughter and it's all so unnecessary.
"I've heard her crying at night and I've tried to explain as much as I can. But it's so difficult for a little girl, and why should she be worrying about these things?"
On Monday: The WMN begins a major series looking at the debates and stories behind the protests, and the need for reforms.
It would be difficult not to find this at least a bit amusing. Except that when you get past that initial response you realise that this is desperately sad. The father in question was Jason Hatch, a 32-year-old painter and decorator from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He unfurled a banner which read "Super Dads Of Fathers 4 Justice - fighting for your right to your kids".
This was the second big headline-grabbing protest by a member of Fathers 4 Justice (F4J). On May 19 another campaigner set off a similar security scare when he threw harmless purple powder at MPs in the House of Commons.
The controversy over royal security following Monday's stunt has put F4J back in the national spotlight, and that's just how they want it.
It would be easy to dismiss these campaigners as a collection of aggrieved mavericks. It would be too easy to look no further than the comicality of a father dressed as a caped crusader who has scaled one of the nation's landmark buildings.
But Jason Hatch was by no means the first to resort to such tactics.
And the question that begs is this: why do these fathers feel they have no alternative in making themselves heard? Look beyond the obvious and this becomes a heart-rending and vexed issue of our times that touches on the lives of thousands of separating couples. The fathers feel as if they have been rendered almost invisible by the family courts.
The group is campaigning for equality in law for both parents over access to their children following divorce. At present there is no legal assumption of access or shared custody. And all too often the big losers in all of this, the ones who often suffer most from the tug-of-love and rivalry between a separated couple, are the children trying to come to terms with it.
The statistics highlight the scale of the problem. There were more than 147,000 divorces in England and Wales in 2002, the highest since 1996. Fathers 4 Justice calculates that 650 children a day have parents who separate or divorce - 237,250 children were affected in 2001.
Forty per cent of marriages end in separation.
That adds up to a lot of heartbreak and scattered homes.
It is no longer just a problem for individuals, but it is so widespread that it is a major social problem.
It is further compounded by the thorniness of the divorce and settlement process, involving Cafcass (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service), the CSA (Child Support Agency), and the ensuing custody and access hearings.
It means a father or a mother can lose thousands of pounds, even their livelihood, as the legal fees pile up.
The disputes can continue for years without resolution.
So, for these fathers, high-profile protests are the only way of getting wider society, the Government and the judiciary to take notice.
The thinking behind F4j's peaceful "direct action" protests was adopted from Greenpeace. And they are starting to achieve results, with both the Government and the Opposition being forced to examine the reform of family law.
Matt O'Connor, who founded Fathers 4 Justice in December 2002, explained: "We've got so many people wanting to join that we are struggling to cope." The seriousness of that message was underlined in July when F4J produced a document called A Blueprint For Family Law In The 21st Century: The Case For Urgent, Radical Reform.
But why should it have come to this? Jolly Stanesby, 38, from Ivybridge, has been one of the most prominent and prolific of the F4J campaigners. He separated from his partner in 2000 and is seeking more regular contact with their four-year-old daughter. His protests have included three days atop a crane in Exeter last September, three days on London's Tower Bridge in December, and seven days up the Tamar Bridge in January.
He explained: "What else can we do? If we didn't do it with some humour we'd be looked at as grumpy dads.
"But really, this is not a funny issue. If someone had a conviction for hitting someone or beating someone up, then I could understand why they couldn't see their children. But there should be equal rights unless there's a good reason otherwise." Mr Stanesby believes the system needs to be simplified and a greater emphasis placed on mediation.
Another Westcountry father, who has asked not to be named, explained the determination of the campaigners: "A parent's bond with their child is the strongest and most powerful they will ever have with anyone. It doesn't just end because the court says so." He has been campaigning for greater access to his six-year-old daughter.
"I have to apply to see my girl, and I'm her father, yet there's no suggestion that I'm a threat to anyone," he said.
"My ex-wife now has a new boyfriend and he can see my daughter at any time, without any checks. Where is the sense in that? "When I don't have access, I'm not allowed to write to her or phone her. This has been very painful for my daughter and it's all so unnecessary.
"I've heard her crying at night and I've tried to explain as much as I can. But it's so difficult for a little girl, and why should she be worrying about these things?"
On Monday: The WMN begins a major series looking at the debates and stories behind the protests, and the need for reforms.
Tuesday, 18 May 2004
Dads' rights protesters at court
Two men have launched a fathers' rights protest on the roof of a Devon court building.
The pair climbed on to the top of Plymouth's Crown and County Court at about 0600 BST on Tuesday.
Dressed as Spiderman and Batman, Jolly Stanesby, from Ivybridge and Gary Swain, from Crewkerne, Somerset are members of Fathers 4 Justice.
Police cordoned off the front of the court, but the day's proceedings were not affected.
The two men unfurled a banner on top of the court reading: "Still the UK's worst family court."
Mr Stanesby said he was protesting against alleged injustices in child custody hearings.
"The family courts are held in secret so nobody finds these things out.
Mr Stanesby said he was protesting against alleged injustices in child custody hearings.
"The family courts are held in secret so nobody finds these things out.
"Fathers 4 Justice wants to let people know what goes on behind closed doors."
Fathers 4 Justice campaigns for equal parenting rights and a legal presumption of contact for parents and grandparents following separation or divorce.
Friday, 23 January 2004
Bridge protester defiant in cold
Bridge protester defiant in cold
A man who has been protesting on a bridge on the Devon and Cornwall border is ending his fifth day 20 feet up on the gantry.
Jolly Stanesby, 35, a registered childminder from Ivybridge in Devon and member of the pressure group Fathers 4 Justice, climbed onto the gantry over the Tamar Bridge at Plymouth on Friday morning.
The start of the protest caused chaos to commuter traffic and the bridge was closed for 90 minutes.
Mr Stanesby was joined by three other protesters at the beginning of the demonstration, who were later arrested.
The first woman to take part in one of the protests, mother-of-one Jayne Woodman, 36, a human resources manager from Swansea, south Wales, was released without charge.
A 38-year-old man and a 46-year-old man, both from London, were released on police bail to return at a later date.
The demonstration on the bridge has prompted a review of security measures by its management team.
Mr Stanesby also demonstrated at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in October.
A Fathers for Justice protester who caused traffic chaos after spending a week camped above the Tamar Bridge has walked free from court.
The prosecution at Plymouth Crown Court dropped the case against Jolly Stanesby, saying there was not a realistic chance of a conviction.
Business leaders said the protest had caused delays and frustration.
Mr Stanesby, 39, of Ivybridge, Devon said he wanted to draw attention to the plight of fathers.
Mr Stanesby is a veteran of Fathers 4 Justice protestsLong tailbacks resulted on both the Devon and Cornwall sides of the Tamar Bridge when Mr Stanesby and other protesters climbed onto a 20ft-high gantry on 23 January.
Devon and Cornwall Business Council said the delays had lost £5m of business.
"There is a tremendous amount of anxiety and anger about this, particularly among small businesses," said chairman Tim Jones.
Mr Stanesby, who had been accused of causing danger to road users, said after the case: "I do not see it as causing a lot of inconvenience. They didn't close the roads.
"I feel very strongly about these views and the general public need to know what's going on."
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: "Each case is considered on its own merits and the Crown Prosecution Service will be made aware of any new information, even if it does not support the prosecution.
"We will look closely at the circumstances of this case to see what we can learn to help us deal with this type of protest in the future".
Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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.
Tuesday, 21 October 2003
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.
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.
Friday, 12 September 2003
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)