Case No. EWFC-93

The father clearly loves A, of that there is no doubt. He was thoughtful during much of his evidence but on occasions became quite upset and showed raw emotion. I do not criticise him for that – these are stressful court proceedings and he was certainly aware that the evidence was not in favour of his position. I fully understand and support his wish and right to challenge the same.53.He clearly holds strong personal views regarding drug use – particularly Ketamine and Cannabis - which are not mainstream views. He is of course fully entitled to hold those views, but I have to take into account the impact of them and the other evidence within this matter and its potential risks to A. It was clear that father, during his evidence, has no intention of stopping taking Ketamine although he submits that it is now less frequent. He does not consider that it is a risk or unethical, but stated that it was a complicated topic with varying views. He pointed out the improvements he has made to his lifestyle – such as stopping heroin and crack cocaine; ceasing to be homeless and obtaining employment. I commend those changes.54.55.He has undertaken therapy recently – hypnotherapy. In his closing submissions he confirmed that he would now agree to seek support for his drug use – first thing on Monday. He would also undergo the therapy recommended but requested that it only be for 6 months due to the length of time it has already been since he saw A. He didn’t want to but would for A. His desire now was for healing and reconciliation and he regretted any trauma and emotional pain caused to the mother. Aspects of this were very different to the submissions in his final statement where he attacked and criticised the mother and did not acknowledge the need for any other therapy or support. 56.I will address the father’s evidence further in my welfare checklist and general analyses.57.