FD24P00534 - [2025] EWHC 717 (Fam)

The allegations

The allegations by the mother are that the father behaved in a coercive and controlling way throughout the marriage. She says he kept her away from events related to her family and made it difficult for her to speak to them. He restricted her money. She says he had a very bad temper, having tantrums every day. During the course of these he would kick her, throw things at her, slam doors and scream. She says that the children heard this and it would make them cry.

The mother also said that the father raped her on many occasions and sexually abused her by forcing her to engage in sexual activity without consent. She said that he did not listen to her protests and carried on regardless. I will not set out the details here but they are all contained in the first statement which she filed in the proceedings.

The mother also says that the father would shout at and humiliate the children, and had no patience with them. She says that he pinched them and was forceful with them when washing them.

Further, she made allegations of sexually abusive behaviour in relation to the children themselves. Once more, I will not set it all out here although I will have to engage with some of the details later.

The father alleges that the mother is causing the children emotional harm by raising untrue allegations against him in order to prevent the children having a relationship with him. He says that she is not concerned with the children’s general welfare but is intent on preventing contact. He said that she is alienating them from him and other family members, giving a number of examples, for example telling the children they have a new father, that they are not related to their cousins, that they should not accept sweets from family members, that the paternal family have stolen their passports so that they cannot travel to Israel. On one video call R is said to have told the father that he was the cause of all the trouble.

The father alleges that the mother has told the children that she does not like the father or the paternal grandmother and that they should hate them as well. He says she has also told the children that the grandmother kidnapped them and that was why they did not see her (the mother) for three months last year.

The hearing

I read all the material in the bundles provided to me, and watched the video interviews of the parents and R. I heard oral evidence from each of the parents.