FD25P00067 - [2025] EWHC 2572 (Fam)

F says that before his removal from Thailand, O was settled and integrated there. He had lived his whole life in Thailand, having not once left the country; his ties and life were rooted in Bangkok. He had never visited England. Both M and F had lived in Thailand for over ten years.

F says he was a hands on father who developed a strong bond with O. He says that M’s family looked down on him, and her father intimidated him at their wedding. He and M had ups and downs, but he did all he could to provide a stable home and to support M who he acknowledges was fragile. After O’s birth their arguments became more frequent. He was under a great deal of pressure after the death of his mother, and struggled to re-establish his work after Covid. M may have misinterpreted some of his behaviour. He accepts that at times he raised his voice. He was devastated by M’s departure with O in secret which he says was unjustified. He thinks that M forged a consent document to enable O to travel out of Thailand. After they left Thailand, M and her parents deceived him into believing that M and O were in fact still there. Losing contact with O has been enormously distressing. He says there was no justification for the wrongful removal, and M has sought to obstruct his relationship with O.

F says he is not a threat to M or to O. He denies most of the allegations made by M, although some of them seem to have been acknowledged by him in WhatsApp messages and voice recordings. He says he was at times overwhelmed, emotional and regretful, but never abusive.

He says a return to Thailand for O would be a return to a country he knows, and is important for his sense of Asian identity and heritage. He says he can put in place protective measures until the Thai court is fully seized; these would include provision of housing and financial support.

F seeks not just the return of O to Thailand, but for O to be placed full time in his care. He proposes in his written evidence a three month transition phase in Thailand by the end of which O would be living with him, and spending time with M. In his discussion with the Cafcass officer, and submissions to the court, he says he is willing to agree that O should live with M until such time as the Thai court considers matters, whereupon he hopes that the Thai court would order that O lives with him or that there be an equal shared care arrangement.