Grant Atthowe Bunbury W.A.

Grant Atthowe Sperm Donor of 4 children and DeadBeat Dad from Bunbury

http://www.freewebs.com/grunter1/index.htm

http://www.facebook.com/people/Grant-Atthowe/632053582

Wrote this letter to complain about paying Child Support for 4 children.


16^th August 2007

The Honorable Minister for Families

Mr. Mal Brough

Dear Sir,

My name is Grant Atthowe and I am writing to you to get answers to my predicament. I am a divorced father of 4 children, 3 from my marriage and 1 from an unsavory affair (which you can read about in another file). Since all of this occurred I have been struggling to keep up to all of my commitments to the point of driving myself further into debt. I tried, through the C.S.A’s objection process, to work out a more equitable way for me to handle things and basically was told that everything I was telling them about my expenses were day to day things that everyone has to pay for. The difference is, not everybody is paying out in excess of $300.00 per week in child support.

Here we go then, question time.
1.Why is child support calculated on a person’s gross wage?
2.Why does there have to be a 15% difference between last years income to a projected income to qualify for a reduction in child support?
3.Why does the appeals process not work?
4.Why don’t you go after every non paying parent with the same voracity as you do an existing customer?
5.How is a person supposed to get on with their lives when they are being penalized so unjustly?

I probably have more but these will suffice for the time being. Listed below is an actual picture of my present circumstances. What I want to know is how I am supposed to live? Can you tell me how to fund all this, without breaking the rules?

My wages work on an 8 week cycle. I only have 7 weeks worth of actual figures but will include an estimation for week 8. Expenditure includes child support payable on one case, mortgage on the family home in which my ex wife resides and my rent. The other child support is deducted direct from my wages. Out of the remaining I am to provide food for myself and my 3 kids who stay with me on days off, fuel, gas, electricity and communications services.

Nett Income Expenditure Amount Remaining

$615.30 $600.33 $14.97

$613.78 $600.33 $13.45

$671.45 $600.33 $71.12

$475.50 $600.33 $124.83-

$636.23 $600.33 $35.90

$660.44 $600.33 $60.11

$590.45 $600.33 $9.88-

$680.00E $600.33 $79.67

Not a pretty picture is it. How one manages is by doing the following. By transferring money to a credit card, used primarily to pay bills and fund purchases, not paying some things by the due date, not paying the child support to my ex I can still do the basics. I get a small stipend from the Family Assistance office, around $125 per fortnight, $40 dollars of which goes to gas and electricity.

In the past I have resorted to doing overtime at work to pay for all this. Problem is, the more money I earn the more C.S.A takes away. I am forced to pay an amount of money based on my gross taxable income yet I am expected to pay this out of my nett disposable income. What sort of backhanded logic is that?

This is the expected child support and percentages based on a rounded income figure of $67,000.00 (approx what I earned last year) with $19,000.00 tax. Amounts are broken down into the following order, percentage, yearly and weekly.

C.S.A. case 1 10.85% $ 7,269.50 $139.79

C.S.A. case 2 19.00% $12,730.00 $244.80

If this calculation was based on my nett income it would be as follows.

C.S.A. case 1 10.85% $ 5,208.00 $100.15

C.S.A. case 2 19.00% $ 9,120.00 $175.38

A calculator will tell you that makes a difference to my disposable income of $109.06 per week. Add that to what I have left over in the previous table and you can see that whilst still not pretty, it’s at least a manageable situation.

I have recently done an estimation of income with C.S.A. which has forced me into the situation of not doing any overtime this financial year as it will only cost more in the following year. Until the legislation is looked at seriously to reflect the circumstances in the real world then I will have no option but to either not do overtime, bankrupt myself and hence become unemployed or quit work, go into the unemployment system and defraud the system somehow so I can have a life. Now I know that will raise a red flag but, seriously, if your office was so keen to get it right, you would be chasing down the hardcore deadbeats that have been rorting the system for years. I at the very least have tried my bum off to do the right thing to support my kids and won’t stop now just because of an unfair, unrealistic and draconian system devised by morons who really have no concept of what reality is.

It’s all very well to make these rules but please, for pities sake, have a look at the side effects. It is little wonder paying parents, mostly men, don’t do the right thing, some are pushed to abandon their children and go underground, much as my father did when I was young, thus depriving both the children and themselves of each other, some are even pushed to suicide because it just becomes so damn hard that you can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.

The dissolution of relationships between adults is catastrophic enough as it is and both parties, when issues are finally resolved, have the right and, dare I say it, an obligation to themselves and their children to move forward. This can only benefit children involved if they can understand that whilst mum and dad are no longer together, they are at least happy with their lot and there are no lingering problems that affect their relationships with each other.

This brings to mind the other issue I referred to. It is obvious by media reports that we are heading to a potential situation where unprincipled women, possibly attracted by the federal governments baby bonus, are having children with men they have no intentions of staying with and thus depriving these children of the opportunity to have a father figure in their lives while all the time taking the money with great delight from these poor bastards whose lives are then effectively ruined for the next 18 to 20 years. These days you get less for manslaughter. I don’t think this was the concept behind the treasurer’s request for people to have more babies. And before you respond, yes everyone has to take some responsibility for the child but, if it can be proven that there was never any intention of a good faith commitment to ensure the child had the benefit of a two parent influence from the outset, then some sort of appropriate measures have to be devised that make the woman in question accountable, not deprive the child and not unnecessarily impact on the male involved to his detriment.

I apologize for the longwinded nature of this letter but I need you to understand the whole picture both emotionally and financially, to get an idea of the fact that these are probably not my thoughts but the same emotions being felt by thousands of other people out there in every electorate. All I want is a system that is just and fair for all concerned mums, dads and children. I am positive that with the enormous resources available to you that some sort of system can be devised that works for all.

Thanking you in advance for your time and looking forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

Grant Atthowe

NB It has recently come to my attention that the woman involved in the 'unsavoury affair' has taken up with her ex boyfriend (one she dumped so she could get pregnant to me) again and from what I understand she has been seeing him for some time.

Barry Williams ACT Liar

Barry Williams lies and commits fraud in a submission to the Australian Senate in February 2009

http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:eE42xMRpyFsJ:www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/priv_ctte/report_136/report.pdf+lone+fathers+association&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au&client=firefox-a




"The LFAA is not and never has been an extreme group of any kind. The Association
is a moderate and "mainstream" group of fathers and associated family members and
friends who wish to remain part of their children's lives after separation. It has been
recognised as such for several decades, at the highest political level, by successive
Governments from both sides of politics. During this time, the LFAA has made many
well-regarded and influential submissions to government and the Parliament on family
law and related issues.
The LFAA is not in any sense anti-woman. Women account for one third of its
membership and half of its National Committee, and the LFAA has close links with
the gender-neutral, Australia-wide organisation, Parents Without Partners.
Nor is the LFAA in any way anti-gay. It has conducted community services on behalf
of government which fully recognised and respected the equal rights of gay clients,
and was pleased to be able to do this. The LFAA does believe that, at least in the great
majority of cases, children require for their proper emotional and moral development
suitable contact with both their biological parents - but this is not an anti-gay position,
merely a commonsense one.
The LFAA is very strongly opposed to violence against women, and has made this
clear on many occasions. The LFAA is, however, also opposed to family violence
against men and children, and has reservations about one-sided propaganda campaigns
against men which create an unjustified anti-male climate of opinion in the
community, encourage false accusations, and fail to provide the help needed by
women, including women who use violence against their children. The "UN report on
violence against women" which Senator Siewert referred to was considered by the UN
representatives of a number of senior western countries, including Australia, to have
displayed an unacceptably extreme gender bias against men, and was not adopted by
the relevant UN committee for that reason. Failure to understand and accept that
decision does indeed, in the LFAA's view, amount to "denial" of the reality of
domestic violence."

Barry Williams is Vice President of Shared Parenting Council of Australia and therefore a direct line to Dads On The Air, D.I.D.S. Self Represented Litigants, CRC Kids amongst others Fathers Rights groups.
Some views that Barry Williams has endorsed on those various forums are:

"Yeah, but did the woman and kids have any visible signs of being bashed? Probably another bullshit story by another rotten bitch who is about to relieve her ex husband of his children, family home and all his belongings and of course his future wages" On a woman provided with service from a DV shelter.

""Thanks for once again demonstrating the alliance between feminism and
homosexuality - in their diminishment on normal heterosexual men as
fathers.

What you say is wrong. There is a difference between a normal
heterosexual man being a father and a pervert thinking he can be the
same from the start with another man and without a mother for the
child.

Children have rights. And one of those rights is to grow up in a
normal heterosexual union/family of one father and one mother.
For homosexuals - whether they be male or female - to decide and to do
otherwise is unnatural and perverted and a gross injustice to the
child(ren). "

""Yep. And I'm satisfied that God is correct and that he says
homosexuality is wrong and will be punished be it ever so severely"

"Why should you have to pay for something that you didn't want? There are other options for a mother in this situation; however, she decided to keep the baby without my husband agreeing, so I believe she should fit the bill. I know this sound rash, but its how I and I am sure thousands of others feel. By the way before everyone gets upset we are law abiding citizens and pay, eventhough I think it is WAY too much for something we get no use out of. "

"Your disagreement with, and hostility towards, me are noted.'Child support' is bigger and broader than you or I and you need to expand your horizons, considerations and understandings and see the big picture.I won't be looking in your wardrobe love. And I don't dye my hair; it is a vanity and extravagance that only leads to regrowth.There are many men who see beyond the shallowness of fading beauty and children, so perhaps your problem is attitudinal and that may be what is keeping men away.As it happens I do get out whenever I chose. After many years of caring for my now adult child I have more freedom. You will too, if you are patient and not so self-focussed.If it was your choice to end your family and take the children away from their father then yes, you should be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions and get a job and support yourself and the children. That is the honest, decent and fair thing to do ... Don't you think? ... For people to accept responsibility for their actions. (Allegations of abuse will not be taken seriously until we hear his side of the story.)" To a woman who believed her child had been abused by her ex husband and who was not paying child support.

"I, for one, do not welcome the C$A to this site, nor their participation. If my will were to prevail, it would be otherwise.
I despise any organisation that forcibly takes money from innocent people who have committed no crime. What the C$A does is theft and extortion using mafia-like standover techniques and tactics. I hurt no one and committed no crime. Because of the actions of another person I was forced to pay money to the Australian federal government via its C$A. I will not forget nor forgive that extortion and theft. Nor the harm and hurt done to thousands of innocent fathers over the years. "


This is also a website of Barry Williams


http://gettherealfacts-gettherealfacts.blogspot.com/

that was apparently set up to counteract this attack on a blog about Familylawwebguide.com.au which is his website that mainly deals with how to avoid paying Child Support.


http://exposethetruth08.blogspot.com/


And Barry Williams approved of the user Danytink sending this threat to the owner/owners of that blog which resulted in one of the people having to get a Court Ordered restraining order.



"You go under a series of names on the FLWG page. You are "Get The Facts" and you are "Solemother" and your birthdate is 5/9/1980 or 9/5/1980. You are a female who is about 29 years old and live in Tasmania. You are not "we" but "I" - as if others would be a sick as you are.
I do not have a porn obsession for the last time and I delketed stuff so you cannot take me out of context as you already have.
The FLWG guys are onto you and we are waiting for legal advice among other things we are looking into. Take this slander down and we will persue you no more. We have connections that you don't want to know about and they are not within law.
Lock your doors and windows.
Warned."

Then there's this...from Crikey.com.au


"Saliently, the response also claimed that domestic violence programs "have been shown to result in widespread violations of due process protections... weaken families, bias divorce proceedings, and deprive children of contact from their fathers." That statement goes beyond advocating for male domestic violence victims. Way beyond."

http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20081127-Mens-health-ambassadors-homophobic-sexist-and-totally-inappropriate.html

Jim Carter Lone Fathers Canberra

Jim Carter and Barry Williams sent in a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Sex Discrimination Act that contained some of the following quotes:


"Perceived discrimination against women
The present era, when gender ideologues assert that women can do anything that men
can do (but not the reverse) has been made possible by the enormous advances in
productivity and income over the last century or so. A key manifestation of this has
been the introduction of all kinds of labour-saving devices into the home, which have
greatly lightened the drudgery of housework and released women for a wide range of
other occupations.
These advances have been primarily due to the creativity, ingenuity, dedication,
motivation, and passion of men in developing the scientific, technological, political,
legal, cultural, commercial, and industrial basis for the huge increases in wealth which
have occurred. Women have made this creative work by men possible, through their
efforts in nurturing and sustaining the members of their families and their other
supportive work.
Women have benefited from the increase in wealth and improvement in health and
wellbeing as much as or more than any other group in society. There has, for the
most part, been fruitful and effective cooperation between the sexes."

"Discrimination against men
By ignoring the experience of men, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 has helped to
entrench and intensify many serious forms of discrimination against men. These,
inter alia, include:
- the dismissal of men’s equal reproductive rights,
- the denial by courts of the rights of hundreds of thousands of fathers to love,
guide, and instruct their children,....
As noted by DOTA:
“In Australia today, only women have reproductive rights. Upon becoming
pregnant, a woman can choose to have the baby, have an abortion, or put the
baby up for adoption. A man has no legal right to choose whether he will
become a father or even be notified that he has become a father.”
This form of discrimination relates to decisions about the very procreation of life
itself."
"Fathers in Australia have in recent
decades taken on a much more hands-on parenting role than in the past. But this has
led to difficulties in many relationships, with a much increased probability of
separation."

Jim Carter

And the government funds these clowns?

Jeremy Swanson Canada

Also known as Jeremy Swineson likes to contribute copious amounts of information that denigrates women on various forums and news groups.

If you believe him, his wife left him "suddenly" and he didn't know anything about it. He also says quite openly that he has chosen to have nothing to do with his children, so then why is he working for FATHERS RIGHTS groups when he willingly abandoned his children?

John Abbott Melbourne THE BLACKSHIRTS

"In my view, adultery is much more damaging to children’s lives than paedophilia itself. Adultery not only corrupts a child but the entire family as well. Every member of the family unit (including the entire extended family) is deeply affected by such an act and for a very long time."

http://www.blackshirts.info/adultery.html

Would that be because you were so enraged at your ex wife because she left you John? Pedophilia is ok is it John?

Leeahn Griffin-Scott Brisbane

This is an email I sent off to the pollies n media. Lets see if they pay any attention whatsoever. I have purposefully used a fairly softly softly approach. Am working on another letter to the pollies n media inregards to the injustice and lack of fair play within the confines of the hallowed Judicial system. Anyways, let me know what ya think.

Hugz

Lee

23rd February 2009
Lee Griffin-Scott

************ ********
Jimboomba 4280

QLD.


Dear Sir.,



This letter is the culmination of a number of years of personal experience and self-education and is both a story and a lesson for all mothers who have been or are in the midst of divorce proceedings. I have experienced the pain of family disintegration, single- parenthood, child support difficulties and yes, the joy of rebuilding and remarriage too. There is a very disturbing phenomenon emerging from a dark source in angered ex-spouses that is becoming widely recognized in legal and medical circles because of its devastating impact.

As a woman, mother, stepmother, wife and divorcee, I have heard and shared experiences of my female and male friends. One trend has disturbed me immensely -- men whose precious relationships with sons and daughters of all ages have been almost or in some cases completely lost. I speak of successful men in their early 40s who have warm hearts, soft voices and deep thoughtful eyes who love their kids profoundly and regularly pay support, but who have not sufficient energy or desire for psychological warfare with ex-spouses seeking revenge. I suspect that there are many (both women and men) who are already beginning to see their own reflections here.

There are two important truths about this issue that most of us would prefer neither to recognize nor discuss: 1) Children make very effective weapons, and 2) sadly, motherhood can have a dark side. Women have the power (and certainly not all of us use it) to punish ex-husbands for perceived unforgivable transgressions.

There are the tried-and-true tactics -- convenient reasons why visits can't take place, ensuring his new partner will never be accepted, psychological punishment for the child who speaks well of a step- parent, locking kids into loyalty issues they struggle with but accept painfully, making Dad feel like the "wallet" and nothing more.

Women do these things with confidence because courts cannot enforce the "soft" clauses of divorce agreements such as "you will consult on matters of education and health." Controlling the behaviours, thoughts or desires of a child is tough to prove and the system has put all its effort into the really important stuff -- collecting support cash.

It gets worse. The psychiatric community has thoroughly researched and documented what has become known as the "parental alienation syndrome." (One reference book is The Parental Alienation Syndrome by Richard A. Gardner, MD.) It is a disorder that is probably most easily recognized in bogus sexual abuse charges against ex-spouses where a parent (most often the mother) convinces a child and the courts that "Daddy touched you, didn't he?"

For some women, it's handy in other ways and is used on kids from tots to teenagers in varying degrees. Here are a few examples of typical parent-alienating statements: "The way your Dad got angry at you over the car, you know that really is abusive" or "You wouldn't believe some of the things your father did/said when we were married É " or "I just don't know how we're going to pay these bills, and look at your father in that nice house," or "I guess your Dad has taken her side against you -- I would never do that to you."

I could go on, but you probably get the point. The strategy is to create a negative image of the other parent consistently and continuously so as eventually to ensure that the child himself will choose to have nothing to do with the target parent.

Women's groups should be proud of the work done to empower their constituents. And parental alienation is perpetrated by fathers as well. However, it is primarily women who seem to engage in this activity as their only means of wreaking vengeance. Although a subterranean type of warfare, it has its victims, and the most critically wounded are the very children one claims to be protecting.

Much of this is understandably difficult to accept since we want so much to live in a world where motherhood is honoured.

The father gives something very special to his children that has nothing to do with the relationship (good or bad) between him and his ex-spouse. We have every right to fear for our communal health and well-being when fathers are prevented from loving and children from being loved.

For some men, the alienation strategy is successful and they silently admit defeat, fleeing emotionally or physically -- some likely become what we refer to as "deadbeat dads," others resigning themselves to whatever sort of relationship is possible from a comfortable distance out of firing range. You can imagine the silent suffering of shattered children who stand dutifully behind their grinning victorious mothers. We have all lost something.

When society vocalizes the need for fathers to take more responsibility, we must wonder how many silent female voices will never admit publicly that they simply won't let them.

There will be a reaction from those with opposing views and examples to support "dead-beat dadism" and "single mum heroism." The real issue, however, is prevention -- what can we do?

Well, aside from raising daughters who have sufficient self-worth to renounce such tactics, if you have a friend, a sister, a daughter-in- law, a cousin who you believe to be in the process of alienating the children from Dad in whatever measure, say something in a kind, gentle and supportive way about the importance of a father in a child's life. You will surely have made a small contribution to the greater good and maybe a big difference in a child's life.



Lee Griffin-Scott

Let's hope they Google your name Leeahn to find out what you're really saying about the children and that someone steps in to save them. See Earlier Post about Leeahn Griffin-Scott

Also goes by various aliases on the net including Griffoscott, cawzforconcern, csavictim1994.

Laurie Nowell Reporter Herald Sun Melbourne

LAURIE NOWELL

A MELBOURNE father of three has been jailed for sending a birthday card to his daughter.

The man "Mick" — who cannot be identified for legal reasons — was locked up in a suburban police station for seven nights and spent another in the tough Melbourne Custody Centre.

He says he was surrounded by drug addicts and people charged with violent offences during his ordeal last month.

Mick claims he is a victim of a family law system that is biased against fathers.

"I was jailed for nine days and eight nights for sending my 11-year-old daughter a birthday card," he said.

"Apparently I broke an intervention order.

"It's ludicrous and it breaks your heart."

The 51-year-old is estranged from his wife and claims she has brought a series of intervention orders against him, banning him from contact with his children, without any evidence.

"Until my wife divorced me I was a legally unimpeachable citizen — now

Unjust: "Mick" was jailed for eight nights.

I'm being treated like a criminal just because I want some contact with my kids," Mick said yesterday.

"And that contact was

ended arbitrarily without even a hearing or the presentation of evidence.

"jn a court of law, if you are accused of something you are supposed to have the ability to cross examine your accusers and call witnesses.

"In the secret chambers of the Family Court you are not guaranteed that at all."

Mick says the experience has cost him $20,000 and his career as a writer.

"It's a plundering and looting exercise on the part of lawyers involved in this and there are no juries or scrutiny by media to keep them accountable," he said.

The Sunday Herald Sun was denied access to documents relating to Mick's case and lawyers for his estranged wife declined to be interviewed.

Historian and academic Prof John Hirst this week called for an overhaul of family law.

"The court is not enforcing its decisions, the costs of going to court are onerous and there is little public accountability," he said.

Are fathers being treated unfairly? Have your say at heraldsun.com. au

It's a pity he didn't consider the truth when writing a "good story". The person he is writing about is Nick Martin who has made threats against his ex wife's lawyer, the family reporter, the judge and anyone else involved in his case. There was never a birthday card even, and Nick Martin knowingly and deliberately breached an intervention order. He's been on the run from the police for a long time and is facing 12 charges. . Laurie Powell didn't even get that part right. Stories like this, don't help the mens rights and they certainly don't help Laurie Powell who doesn't mind telling a few lies to get published.


This email to Fathers4equality forum from Martin himself:

From Norsaint/Nick Martin
Guys,
the library is within 500 yards of the ex wife's house (my old place) and that is the distance now stipulated by an intervention order.
I've been charged with going there, sending texts to my older daughter (although funnily enough, no complaint was ever made about this; the walloper grabbed my phone and after snooping through it, found - sorry, allegedly found - texts to daughter wishing her happy birthday etc).
Facing 12 charges in all. They include writing to children, to the ex, urging her to come to her senses, her sister urging her to use her influence for good, birthday wishes to children etc, talking to her in court one day etc. .
Laughable stuff of course but alas, we don't get to appear in front of juries in these "special courts" for "special" people, and I've got a suspended sentence hanging over my head. (had to plead guilty 18 months ago to get out after three days, having been jugged for watching my son play football)
There is no due process of law, which means they're corrupt courts and shouldn't exist.
With regard the birthday card, the chief walloper confidently informed the woman (what else?) Magistrate that it had been "intercepted by the victim"!
This sort of bastardization of the language puts a whole new perspective on going to the post office to collect one's mail.
Perhaps we could bring a class action against Australia Post, for victimization.
With regard the satire about letters below, this sort of thing has already been seriously proposed in the US by their crooked industry shonks. The idea to build big compounds whereby fathers could fleetingly visit their off-spring has been mooted, according to Baskerville. In fact I think he pointed out a situation whereby a lunatic judge was proposing castration for men who fell behind with their divorce subsidy payments.
Thrilling stuff.


Then there was this garbage which contained lies yet again by Laurie Nowell. The truth was Simon Hunt (who identified himself on various forums) breached an Intervention Order and went to his ex wife's house. The order was made int he County Court and Simo Hunt chose to ignore that order and has no respect for the courts at all. He has actually already breached the new order by publishing it, complete with his ex wife and daughters address in Brighton on 3 different Mens Rights Groups public forums.

Banned dad agonizes at loss Herald Sun

January 3rd, 2009 · 2 Comments

Banned dad&squo;s agonising loss Herald Sun

Laurie Nowell

December 07, 2008 12:00am

“STEVE” has been barred from seeing his daughter for seven years.

He has never harmed his only child or her mother. He has never threatened them and a court has accepted he is of good character.

But last week, after a tortuous 10-year journey through four courts, more than 20 hearings, 12 psychologists and six lawyers, he was told he could not see his daughter until she came of age.

Steve, whose real name cannot be revealed for legal reasons, has gone through more than 20 intrusive psychological examinations, while daughter “Molly” has endured seven.

He says he has spent more than $100,000 in 10 years.

His wife twice raised sexual-abuse allegations, proven false after months of investigation.

But the court accepted she would “shut down” emotionally if Steve was allowed to see his daughter and that her distress would affect her parenting skills.

It was deemed in Molly’s best interests that she not see her father until she turned 18.

Now Steve, a successful small businessman from Melbourne’s southern suburbs, faces being alienated from his daughter forever.

“It just rips your heart out. If you can’t forge a relationship with your child in their formative years, there’s a real risk that you never have a good relationship,” he said yesterday.

“There was no violence, threats, abuse, harassment or intimidation.

“I was shocked when (the judge) announced that the order would apply to both my ex-wife and our daughter and would last for 10 years.

“I was able to persuade her that this would criminalise me if my daughter tried to contact me when she grew up.

“But I bucked the system and paid the price. If you argue with the court’s finding, they label you as unco-operative.”

Steve said while everyone wanted women and children protected from violence, intervention orders should not be used as weapons in custody battles.

“These orders are being used to persecute men and children by litigants who know courts will always err on the side of caution and remove fathers without there being any violence at all,” he said.

Steve said he feared his daughter had been scarred by the court’s insistence on psychological examinations.

This year he approached his ex-wife’s new partner to see if there was any chance of mediation that would allow him to see Molly.

His wife instantly launched legal action alleging he breached an intervention order that prevented him approaching her or Molly.

“The court decided that my - very polite - conversation with my ex’s partner represented harassment. It’s just unbelievable,” Steve said.

Thanks to Laurie Nowell's repeated searches on his name, the ranking for this page has increased to Number 1 for Google searches on Laurie Nowell.