Toni and Martyn McLeod

SOCIAL workers want to seize a baby as soon as it is born because of a mother’s political views.

Durham County Council has told Toni McLeod she would pose a “risk of significant harm” to the baby by having ‘inappropriate friendships’.

The 35-week-pregnant mother recently married Martyn McLeod, a serving soldier just back from Afghanistan, but social workers have told him that as a full-time soldier he would be unable to care for his child, reports the Sunday Express.

Mrs McLeod, Antonia (Stella) Evans as she then was last year, was convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm, common assault and being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control, as reported in the Northern Echo.

Her three previous children from different fathers are in care.  She was in the English Defence League for a time.  She is now said by Durham County Council to have joined the anti-Muslim North West Infidels (motto: ‘Keep the Faith’) which she denies (see her letter to the Sunday Express below).

Social workers say the child would become radicalised with EDL views and want it put up for adoption immediately.  Documents prepared by social workers and seen by the Sunday Express mention Mrs McLeod’s alleged previous alcohol and drug misuse, her “aggressive behaviour” and alleged “mental health issues”.

The social worker’s report goes on to say: “Toni clearly needs to break away from the inappropriate friendships she has through either the EDL or break-off group in order that she can model and display appropriate positive relationships to the baby as he/she grows and develops.

“Toni has been a prominent member of the EDL. They claim they are a peaceful group, however, they have strong associations with violence and racism.”

According to the Express, Mrs McLeod has posted racist abuse on social networking sites but denies being racist. She claims she is no longer active with the EDL and has never been charged with violence against children.

Her case has been taken up by John Hemming MP, who chairs the Justice For Families campaign group.  Mr Hemming said: “This case is one where the ‘thought police’ have decided to remove her baby at birth because of what she might say to the baby. I wonder what the baby’s father is thinking when he fights for a country which won’t allow him to have a child because of what the child’s mother might say.

The Lib Dem MP is far from being a supporter of the EDL, but contrasts Mrs McLeod’s treatment with that of the extremist Islamic cleric Abu Qatada, who was allowed to remain with his ­children when he was briefly remanded on bail earlier this year as the Government tries to deport him.

He said: “It raises a curious question as to why Abu Qatada is allowed to radicalise his children but the state won’t take the chance of allowing Toni McLeod to look after her baby in case she says something social workers won’t like.  … Freedom of speech means nothing if people are not allowed to say things that are thought to be wrong.”

Mrs McLeod is now planning to move to the Republic of Ireland, out of the jursidiction of British social services, in order to give birth to her baby in safety.  She will be following a route taken by many other mothers.  Her husband is planning to request a transfer to Northern Ireland so he can be with his child.  He said: “Toni would never harm a child.”

Durham County Council told Mrs McLeod on Friday that her unborn baby was being placed on its child protection register but would not comment to the Express.

Obviously Toni McLeod has not behaved well.  Nevertheless, should Durham Social Services be allowed to use her political views as even part of their portfolio of excuses to take her baby?

If ‘inappropriate friendships’ with people who hold politically incorrect, or even downright unpleasant, views disqualify a mother from looking after her child, how many of us would social workers actually allow to be parents?  Christians, home-schoolers, eco-warriors, anti-Muslim campaigners, pro-marriage activists might all find themselves at odds with the views of social workers.  There is no statutory definition or even government guidance of what constitutes ‘significant harm’.  Social workers can interpret it to suit themselves.

Cases of children being taken into care have shot up recently as social workers become ‘risk averse’.  In the wake of Baby Peter, social workers are deciding it’s more than their job’s worth to leave children out there in the hands of real parents coming across their radar.  And of course although they say they may be ‘damned if they don’t’ take a baby into care and that they are ‘damned if they do’, in reality they are never ‘damned if they do’ (except in the courts of heaven) because no-one can call them to account.

We became involved in two other cases of Social Services baby-snatching recently.  In one case, astonishingly, a young mother was told she could not be trusted to bring up her children because she had herself been in care.  The care system by that logic becomes a self-perpetuating empire.

In another, a father has been told he is a risk to his children because he was sexually abused when he was young.  In neither case has any harm occurred or been alleged to any of the children involved.  It is so easy to allege ‘a risk’ of harm, and the family courts simply accept what social workers allege.

In addition, Toni is now married, and to a serving soldier just returned from Afhganistan.  In Afghanistan he has, according to our political leaders, been fighting to protect our security.  Is it right that the security of his own family life is at risk when he comes home?

Toni McLeod was last recorded living in Mellanby Crescent, Newton Aycliffe, which is mid-way between Darlington and Bishop Auckland.  Her real need is for total deliverance from the things of this world which have ensnared her.  Pray that the Lord will raise up a Christian local to her to minister to her.  We so often talk about ‘getting alongside’ the poor and disadvantaged.  Here is a woman and indeed a family who have everything stacked against them.  They need support, they need true fellowship, they need the Gospel.

Please note that we can write about this story now.  If the McLeod baby is taken into care under a court order, it may well be we cannot write about it any more on pain of contempt of court, under the rules of secrecy which govern the family courts.

Contact details to raise this issue with Durham County Council:

Children and Family Care Dept:
Tel: 0300 026 0000 Fax:0191 383 5752 Email: scd@durham.gov.uk

George Garlick, Chief Executive, Durham County Council.
Tel: 0191 372 7601 Email: george.garlick@durham.gov.uk

Cllr Simon Henig, Leader, Durham County Council
Tel: 0191 383 5344 Email: simon.henig@durham.gov.uk

 

Further to the above story, a letter by Toni McLeod was published in the Sunday Express 24th June 2012:

‘I would like to put the record straight about allegations made against me by Durham County Council and repeated in last week’s Sunday Express (“Why try to take baby from EDL mother but not from ‘terrorists’?”).  I have told Children’s Services in Durham they are not true.
‘I am not a racist and I now regret going to the EDL demonstration at which I was arrested in 2010.  I do, however, strongly support the British Troops and will continue to back our boys.  I have character references from Muslim and Sikh friends.  I am not involved with North West Infidels.
‘I have never owned a Pit Bull. It was a German Shepherd I owned.
‘I do not have a mental health problem. I am not and have never been a drug addict. I have not drunk alcohol in 2012. I did get drunk on one day in 2011 when I was told that my children were not returning to me.’
Toni McLeod. Newton Aycliffe, County Durham 

 

Further still, we have now seen the response of Durham CC.  They say:

 ‘We have been contacted by a number of groups and individuals following national publicity surrounding Toni McLeod.  Durham County Council will not comment on the confidential circumstances of any case, however we would like to reassure you that, contrary to what may be suggested, we would never consider removing a child from their family on the basis of their parents’ political beliefs or occupation.’

The trouble is, the documents seen by the Sunday Express reveal that Durham CC are doing exactly what they say they do not do. 

 

Four weeks later we are still also awaiting a response from Mr David Williams, promised by Cllr Henig, to the following FOI Act questions:

‘Would you kindly advise me what targets, financial incentives and monies, for example those payable for fostering and adoptions are at present in place for cases like this?

‘How much are foster parents paid by Durham and do any foster parents have familial or other links to social services or Durham County Council staff?’

It will erode public confidence in a system which is already under suspicion if children are being snatched to make up numbers, advance careers or profit the local authority or individuals within it.

 

Previous Christian Voice posts on this issue:

20th March 2012: Social Services ‘Hired Gun’ may be struck off.

3rd February 2012: Social Workers on TV – where is the Church?

26th November 2011: Domenic Johansson To Face Christmas Without Parents

20th September 2011: Forced adoption: how the Lord must grieve

Join Christian Voice today and stand up for righteousness in the land:

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33 COMMENTS

  1. God knows everything everyone does and He will judge fairly – anyone trying to destroy Christian families will be judged, I pray if there is anything perverse in any family situation that God will intervene and bring about justice. Matthew 5:21-32 Murder is the same as hatred, adultery is the same as looking with lust, swearing an oath is a dangerous thing – to tell a lie which destroys a family is a terrible thing. God knows the heart and intentions of all involved and He will have the last word. Hinder not the little children from coming to me Jesus said didn’t he?

  2. After reading this article, I knew I was meant to join Christian Voice. I pray others who have procrastinated will join now. The more people we have, the more work we can do. I have a friend who is a senior lecturer in Social Science. I was asked to meet her Social Science students twice to speak to them about the benefits of reminiscence. I used to run a reminiscence project until the CP crowd shut me down in 2003. No bitterness now, just thanks to the Lord because He knows what He is doing. The students were training to be Social Workers. Rather than email my friend this information, I think I need to go and visit her and speak face-to’face first. She lives in St Ives.

  3. Martin Niemoller, imprisoned for seven years in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, is renowned for this quotation:

    “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out–
    Because I was not a Socialist.
    Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out–
    Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
    Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out–
    Because I was not a Jew.
    Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.”

    When they “come for us”, don’t let it be said that we “did not speak out” against the gross injustices of the PC/CP brigade. What Durham County Council are proposing here is scarily similar to the Nazi regime: disagree with our politics and we incarcerate you/take your children/deny you an income etc.

  4. When a person is tried in a criminal trial, the defence has to prove that reasonable doubt exists and for the prosecution to prove reasonable doubt does not exist.

    Had she not married a British soldier, then perhaps there might be some justification for child custody.

    However in child custody, they take the view of ‘reasonable’ probability in predicting the future. Reasonable doubt now exists as to whether now being married to a British soldier that her previous views and actions would continue.

    In the case of Mrs McCleod being now married to a serving UK soldier, there now is the reasonable probability that the child will be brought up as an upstanding UK citizen in line with the husband’s wishes.

    In this case, Mrs McCleod should most certainly be allowed to keep her child, albeit if necessary with social service monitoring.

    We do not take children from Muslim families simply on the grounds that the children will in all likelihood be brought up as Muslims! To do so would be most incredibly racist.

    We as Christians must act in every occasion where fascist and dictatorial tendencies arise – our freedom is being threatened every day by the UK Government and Local ‘Authorities’. We have a Government who outcry against various individuals trying to uphold Human Rights, and Theresa May often speaks out against some of these Human Rights.

    We also have a Government that is trying to forcibly remove our rights to a private life and the right to electronic communication without monitoring. They wish to remove the necessity for a warrant or in fact the necessity to give any reason at all to store all phone numbers called land or mobile, all email addresses we send emails to, and all of our web browsing history for up to one year. This would happen to all UK citizens regardless of how innocently we spend our lives, under pending legislation, and who knows who might access this information in the future, or for what purpose. I pray to God by Jesus name that this is stopped in its tracks in Parliament.

    When my job was forcibly taken from me, there was no difference whatsoever to the employer acting ‘in the capacity of the Gestapo’, except as not being able to threaten my life! Forceful inference, kangaroo courts and bullying by implication, without any evidence were all used, and conjured up sexual connotations were trounced as false evidence to perjure an industrial tribunal. Political correctness also played a part, but brute force would be a better overall description.

    We as Christians must bear witness and speak out against all atrocities, and all actions that are against God and against all good Christians or against any of us as citizens of the UK..

    I read very recently that the 30 billion annually it would cost to erase starvation and hunger worldwide is spent by the military in countries around the world in just 8 days. We live in a very unfair and unjust world, but God knows this! I ask Jesus by name to do everything possible to remove and lessen military expenditure and divert as much funds and effort as is humanly possible into feeding the hungry and giving them the means to provide food for themselves, giving clean water to drink and generally saving people’s lives!

    • The trouble is, we don’t just ‘have her word for that’. The Express has seen the papers, in which Durham Social Services say: ‘Toni clearly needs to break away from the inappropriate friendships she has through either the EDL or break-off group’. That is an assault on freedom of belief and freedom of association. So it seems the council absolutely would do that! Of course, if they take her baby, Toni McLeod should have an action in law for breach of her human rights, but it’s a bit late then.

      • Firstly – the Express *claims* to have seen papers; they are not known for their rational and accurate reporting of a situation. Have you not considered that they may have either made this up, or totally misrepresented the situation ?
        Secondly – What papers ? What’s the date on them ? Written by whom ? For what purpose ?
        Thirdly – as has been pointed out, no social worker involved in the case would speak to the press about this, for reasons of confidentiality.

        Like Dominic says, we only have her word for it. I suspect that the underlying reasons are far less black and white than you would like them to be.

        • That is a preposterous response from someone in complete denial about social services abuses. Whatever one might think of the Sunday Express, it would be against every journalistic principle for Ted Jeory to invent documents. He has even quoted from them. It is quite clear that they have been written recently by a Durham social worker and that the purpose of them is to get hold of yet another adoptable baby.

  7. I know from first hand experience what social services are like and the powers that they use. It’s a numbers game with them and if you get a lead social worker who’s power crazy then your stuffed!!

    Yes i agree that she has had problems but that shouldn’t bar her from being a parent, nor should her political views bar her either. If that was the case then i bet a lot of families would face the same problem.

    Please don’t judge somebody unless you have ever experienced the methods and practices that social services and all the specialists that they employ use, because they always sing off the same hymn sheet.

  10. One cannot be a member of the EDL and not be racist. A casual read of their Facebook pages tells one that is so.

    She may be repentant , but, putting aside any concerns about the heavy handedness of the authorities, I would like to see hard evidence of this, because I am curious how does supporting members of a fa- right football hooligan group, riddled with neo-Nazis, can further God’s work.

    • The top one that came up for me on Facebook was Yorkshire EDL.
      Right at the top, their page said: ‘We will protest against militant islam on British soil, Any act of muslim extremism will now be countered by the EDL. We are a non racist organisation.’
      So it appears one definitely can be a member of the EDL and not be racist.
      The clear evidence of Durham SS heavy-handedness is in the documents seen and reported on by the Sunday Express in the story.
      I can take you to parents who will show you similar evidence of injustice.
      Christian Voice will always try to help parents in this situation, because Psalm 127:3 says that children are a heritage of the Lord to their parents, not to the state. But success is hard to come by because the system, with its secret family courts etc is so loaded against justice and parents. Great wickedness is being done, contrary to Deut 25:1, and I hope more churches will begin to help these parents, who completely fit the bill of the dispossessed we are called to be alongside.

  11. I am sure I can find a similar quote in Anders Breivik’s manifesto. The fact is, and you well know it, if you have read any comments o various facebook and indifel Facebook pages is that it is largely a collective of of “casuals” or in plain language, football hooligans and similar, far -right extremists and racists. It is a matter of record and no amount of dissembling or assertion could possibly allow any reasonable person to put that aside. Quote whatever scriptures you wish, but be mindful the 9th commandment.

    Whether the Durham authorities are heavy-handed is a moot point. I do not have the benefit of reading their records or seeing their case. But we do know he this woman is, what she has done, and what she stood for.
    So I have to ask the question again,is this woman a Christian, does she repent of her actions, does she denounce the racist group she belonged to? I see no evidence of it. That begs the question , why the campaign? If the issue is the treatment of parents by the family court why support this person over someone who at least has a better prima facie case and at least has some recognisable Christian values? The answer it seems to me is that the campaign has nothing to do with the integrity of families, it is a political campaign.Nothing wrong with political campaigns as long as the cause is a righteous one. Given the circumstances, I am not convinced this specific campaign is.

    I am concerned that any Christian would find an excuse to defend the EDL. I referred to the EDL facebook pages. I note the direct link to the EDL on the Christian Voice facebook pages together with their affiliates and a couple of clicks away, the hooligans we know as the Infidels, which implies that your outfit supports the EDL and their bedfellows, at least passively. Christians are not idiots. I put it to you that your support is based on the fact that she is, or was a member of this organisation and not because of any perceived, unremedied injustice.

    • Christians don’t just campaign for Christians, you know. God wants to see justice for all:
      Amos 5:24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
      And I am sure in any other cause, you would be screaming at whoever you could find, urging them not to be judgmental.

    • Remember when the Christians were thrown to the lions? Why was that? Oh yes, because they were Christians!

      Believe me, no-one is safe from the fabrications and lies that social services will stoop to in order to reach the targets set by the government for them, you are as on target as anyone else, wait, you’re a Christian, your children/grandchildren must be taken away, you ‘might’ teach them to smash up a market place because of the greed, violence is unacceptable

      Maybe they should take my children, I am a catholic, I might cause my grandchildren ‘risk of future emotional harm’ by telling them of the violent end as described in Revelations … but then again I might not, let’s not risk it eh? I’ll pop them down to the local social office in the morning, just to be on the safe side, I suggest you do the same.

      Now then, I am not an EDL/BNP supporter, but I am a Liverpool FC supporter, oh boy, that’s the family doomed, the rest are Man Utd fans, what to do? We surely must be dysfunctional?

      And there’s my friends! Gosh, I have black friends who are Christian, I have white friends who are & are not, I have Indian friends and muslim friends, it’s a tough call, but my family are surely getting further into danger all the time

      Oh, on an end note, I have seen this paperwork, written by social services themselves, if you can’t take her word for it, take mine, what you’ve read is true, as for her husband, he is fighting for a country that can’t wait to tear his life apart, now aren’t you proud to be British?
      In fact National security is in danger, other soldiers have also been told they might die therefore cannot have their children, my 3 sons won’t be joining up due to this fear, well done – great recruitment news!

      I do hope this has given you food for thought, I’d hate for you to be begging for help one day, when they come for your children/grandchildren

      “For evil to triumph it is enough only that good men do nothing” – Edmund Burke

      Are YOU a good man?

  12. I presume that you are agreeing that the EDL are unChristian .I guess that is progress. After all all established churches in the UK have signed up to policies opposing this outfit and their works.

    I do not need to be judgmental about this woman’s past or the organization she was or is involved with . It is a matter of record. I can certainly think of more worthy causes, perhaps a father who has to surrender his kids to an adulterous ex wife.

  13. I do not have to consider whether or not the EDL are a violent far-right collective of casuals, racists and hangers on. It is a matter of record. At one extreme are passive internet trolls relaying bigoted messages so as to encourage the others, at the other is the EDL forum member we know as the mass murderer Anders Breivik. If I have to make any judgment at all it is this, the movement behaves very much like a cult.

    This woman’s troubles with the authorities is also a matter of public record as is her involvement with the EDL. Foir example:

    http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/9041017.Woman_bit_police_officer_after_arrest/

    I dare not post any quotes from her facebook profile given the vulgar means by which she communicated her views to her fellow hooligans.

    I does really take that much effort to work out what she did in the past. It is entirely possible for her transform herself from a violent incoherent bigot to a sober model citizen, but I would have thought that this would involve considerable effort.

    My concern is that there is no evidence of contrition or repentance on her part.

    I am wondering whether the Sunday Express article is entirely accurate.Clearly the papers they refer to are by the Data Protection Act. Unlawful disclosure under these circumstances would surely be a criminal act.

    I don’t have a story to tell myself. Fathers 4 Justice seem to be vocal on this issue, militant as they are.

  14. I know Toni .. I have been with her all the way through this and even cried heartbroken on the phone with the lass …I am a qualified professional too and used to work within the Social services .. I know only too well what they can do and about the lies they say .. I blew the whistle and lost my job over it .. What these people do to families is horrendous and further more to post pictures of these kids on an internet site WITH their photos for families to pick and choose who to adopt is just wrong! .. SO WRONG … bemyparent…. look it up …it seems these people are only happy to do things when it suits there targets .. don’t you find it highly questionable that most of these children are young babies or tots ? .. KIDS easily adoptable? The ones families are more likely to choose rather than teens? Toni has never harmed her kids regardless of what many like to assume or think .. YES she has made mistakes but haven’t we all ? .. The point is In all of my years I have never witnessed such passion and heartbreak from anyone like Toni .. the fight she is putting up for her kids you would not believe … not only this but she is working tirelessly to help other families in the same situation .. this girl has one of the biggest hearts I know with the same passion to boot .. The courts wont allow her a voice but by god will I be her voice ! ……

    • Drop us an email please – there are so many other parents in the same boat and it is time they came together. And may the Lord bless you for showing the love of Christ to this young woman rather than condemning her – as some want to do.

  15. i will apologise in advance, this has only just come to my attention. had i known i would have replied earlier, i will state now i havent read the full blog, so probably wont comment in the entirety to which you are due.
    my parenting has not been in question the durham county council openly state in documents that my children were bright, intelligent, articulate, clean, tidy, well behaved, polite, well cared for living in a well maintained home with a wide range of age appropriate toys and games present. they were described as thriving in my care and reported to be safe and secure in my care. it also states in all the documents, that i attended all medical appointments for my children and was pro active in my childrens education. my son was premature suffered colic reflux under developed internal organs, abnormal breathing endured meningicoccal septicaemia twice within 6 months due to this had to use breathing machines and the nebuliser (i had to do hourly checks on him throughout the night) and numerous other conditions and was under 4 different consultants at 4 different hospitals i never ever missed a single appointment despite at the time i was a single parent to 3 children under the age of 5. whilst working 3 jobs one of which my own business, i am university qualified in many areas including ironically social work and psychology. i have got a criminal record that i wont deny nor am i proud of it but as the saying goes to be old and wise first you must be young and stupid and i wont ever deny i have been stupid numerous occasions through out my life, the mental health alcohol and most annoyingly the drug accusations have been disproved in the courts i will state i do not ever touch drugs and am extremely against them yes i do drink as does most of the population on occasion i have drank once in two years i dare say even most priests have drank more than me. the courts have openly admitted i have done every thing they have requested of me yet still will not return my children to me, it is going to appeal in the European courts of human rights as they reasons given with i am LIP (i have self studied law and represent my self in court after being screwed by the legal representatives enlisted to aid my case) i converse and consult with the media police and mp’s to campaign against family court corruption although they concede i am no longer part of the EDL and havent been since 2010 they believe i may still hold the ethos of the EDL beliefs and lastly that because i have told my kids mammy loves them loads and loads and will never stop fighting in the courts to get them home and i have contested the judges decision in regards to their placements (subsequently i was at this time deemed mentally unstable and unpredictable for doing so documented in the court audio transcripts) these are not valid reasons for removal of children under the childrens act 1989 threshold criteria. my children before removal had child shrink reports done that clearly stated that removal from me or separation from each other would have detrimental effects on their emotional and psychological well being, the local authority concerned disregarded this specialists advice, and did so regardless of the consequences resulting in my eldest child self harming urinating herself day and night and no longer has any front teeth what so ever through grinding them due to stress she was 5 at that time my two other children are just as damaged the local authority in question have been caught out in video recordings done by me and my husband due to their behaviour sat in my front room laughing and taking the piss out of me for having my childrens pictures up,sayin that all i have now of them is memories (they have placed injunctions on me so i cant disclose to the public at large any of these and tried having me committed to prison 5 times since march 29th this year for disobeying that order ) the reason john hemming etc have backed my case is because i have never harmed my kids ever i never would they are my life, my soul, my whole reason for living. i fought dam hard against all the odds to bring them into the world every single one of them were a miracle due to my health problems. they have seen my papers they have seen the recordings, i wont ever make out im an angel i am far from it i have made many mistakes during my life my children and their care have never been one of them. i openly admit my faults i change what i can and accept what i cant. i cant change my past only change my future. now they have travelled across 3 countries, to remove our baby at birth for nothing, when they had no jurisdiction power or legal stance to so. this isnt protection its personal because to admit my children should stay with me would open up there whole behaviour reasons and a huge can of worms not to mention would result in some serious actions been taken against those involved. i am past the point of caring about the legal implications i have nothing else to loose they have taken my babies the documents are available for those who wish to see them feel free to contact me to get them xx

  16. This is interesting. First -hand evidence in a blog.

    I can readily accept that Stella would never intend to harm her own. And notwithstanding her past, the state would require a damned good reason for planning to remove a yet to be born child, I presume that is the MP’s reason, and rightly so, for pursuing the matter.

    However the question I have with this case is not whether the case is worth pursuit, any mother will fight for their kids, but why Christian Voice is an advocate, seeing that virtually every Church organization is opposed to the EDL and what it stands for. Anyone can drop out of the EDL facebook and forum pages. The Infidels, for example, have officially left the EDL but their ideology is identical . Oddly enough I have always believed that a lack of sobriety is the reason why so many misguided individuals fall under their influence.

    I suppose the only question that matters is this . Stella, what changes are you making exactly.?

    • Matt 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
      The Good Samaritan did not spend valuable time worrying over whether the traveller had politically-correct opinions. In fact the whole point of our Lord’s parable was that they were people who would not normally get on.
      Luke 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
      Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
      And if Mrs MacLeod will take my advice, she won’t dignify your final question with an answer.

  17. Our grandchild has just been removed from our care for reporting suspected abuse.

    If you report it children are removed for causing emotional abuse

    If you don’t report it your children are removed for failure to protect

    my son was told it was abuse to take a child to church

  18. @ Paul .. I have watched EDL from afar since the day they first formed .. I am friends with or know many of them NOT all are racists that is just bigotry on your part . I am of sound mind , happily working and I come from a very diverse family background .. I DO NOT and never have been spoken to in a racist manner .. nor have I ever had abuse ….. Hooligans have fought with each other for decades … Yet now we see these same hooligans coming together and sharing fears they have … Yes you will always get hangers on and followers that are less than desirable .. And you will always find vulnerable people who follow the mass .. BUT that isn’t just within EDL ..this occurs in every group or fractions of people .. to suggest it doesn’t is very naive .. Why should Stella have to EVER justify herself to you ? YES she has made mistakes and nobody is more aware of them than her .. BUT to be outspoken however manner you do it is never a reason to have your kids taken from you . I’m sure we all have made mistakes but some never learn from them . Stella has learnt and has sadly paid the ultimate price for daring to stand up for what she believes in . I think everyone should stop being so critical of half facts … and if you don’t have the full facts , then maybe it’s because it has absolutely nothing to do with you .. I already think She has explained herself far too much , I wouldn’t have portrayed the same courtesy .. .. however Stella wants to help others .. hence her own self awareness road .. maybe some others could do with some self awareness paths too .. Have fun , stay safe and remember life isn’t always as you perceive it ….Torn x

    • There is ALOT more to this story, its more about what SHE DID at the protest rather than her attendance…. Google her maiden name Evans, some people shouldn’t bring up their children if deemed unfit by laws and legislations which the courts have to adhere to!

      • ‘if deemed unfit by laws and legislations which the courts have to adhere to!’

        You seriously mean that if the state deems you ‘unfit’, your children should simply be taken away? Have you considered the implications of that and where it is leading?

  22. People can, and do, change.

    Sadly it is easier for social workers to pick on someone like Stella rather than visit households with violent parents, drug dealing parents etc. The average social worker would rather pursue a mother for alleged, possible future emotional abuse than knock at a door where the children are at risk of immediate physical or sexual abuse from parents and their friends addled by drugs or alcohol.

    The system wastes huge amount of tax payers money on futile cases such as Stella’s, causing misery to children who would have been fine without any intervention (Grandma was more than capable of looking after them when Stella was in prison), meanwhile children really in need remain invisible cos professionals haven’t the guts to do their jobs properly.

    Of course Stella was stupid to get involved with the EDL but she has to be allowed to move on (she served her sentence for the events associated with the march). What’s the use of our penal system if not to support rehabilitation.