{"id":10857,"date":"2017-07-19T17:09:35","date_gmt":"2017-07-19T16:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/?p=10857"},"modified":"2025-06-30T19:11:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T18:11:24","slug":"medway-dispute-mother-guilty-contempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/medway-dispute-mother-guilty-contempt\/","title":{"rendered":"Medway dispute Mother guilty of ‘contempt’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Maidstone<\/a>
Maidstone County Court heard Medway’s case against the mother<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A mother in dispute with social services was found guilty yesterday of contempt of court. \u00a0The case has not yet concluded so we shall refer to her as ‘SR’.<\/p>\n

Sitting at Maidstone County Court, in open court, Judge Richard Polden held ‘SR’ had \u00a0breached an injunction forbidding her from naming her children and reporting on her case online.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, she gave an undertaking last December to take down the articles and then changed her mind, he said. \u00a0The articles remained up on her page on social media.<\/p>\n

Sledgehammer to crack a nut<\/h2>\n

Sentence will be passed on 30th August, said His Honour. \u00a0In accordance with the rules, he must name the mother in public at the conclusion of the case. \u00a0Barrister Edward Elliott, representing Medway Council, objected to naming the mother even at that stage. \u00a0He said that would enable the public to join up her case and the details already legally presented about it on this website<\/a><\/strong> with her social media page.<\/p>\n

But this author, speaking as a journalist and member of the media, invited His Honour to have no sympathy with that argument. \u00a0Ours is not a jurisdiction which ‘disappears’ dissidents. \u00a0The rules say clearly<\/a><\/strong> that a person committed to prison, even if sentence is suspended, must be named. \u00a0The Council should have thought of that before employing a sledgehammer to crack a nut.<\/p>\n

Medway ‘verging on vindictive’<\/h2>\n

The two ‘children’ Medway took are now nineteen and eighteen. \u00a0Any orders passed under the Children Act no longer apply. \u00a0Medway complained about breaches occurring while at least one of the children was still under eighteen. \u00a0 But they do not wish the mother to post anything even now about her treatment by Medway Council. \u00a0Furthermore, that treatment, on the face of it, appears to have verged on vindictive, as our earlier story detailed<\/a><\/strong>. \u00a0 Accordingly, to try to stem the flow of embarrassing negative information about Medway Social Services, they wanted the judge to make a ‘non-molestation order’ in favour of the children.<\/p>\n

But Judge Polden was not confident Medway could present such an application on behalf of persons who are now legally adults. \u00a0The Council even expected him to take merely the evidence of social worker Kelly Hopper in support of it. \u00a0But when Kelly Hopper gave evidence against the mother for contempt of court, she had to admit she was not even in contact with the son or daughter. \u00a0She only had a chat with their ‘support worker’. \u00a0So when she laid it on about the children being distressed about their mother’s actions, that was mere hearsay. \u00a0Miss Hopper had her speech off pat. \u00a0She did not even read from notes she might have taken when purportedly speaking to the support worker. \u00a0Her evidence came across as frankly contrived. \u00a0So His Honour sent that application up to a High Court Judge to decide in September.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The American civil rights agitator, Saul Alinsky, championed the idea of ‘using the system against itself’.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using the system against itself<\/h2>\n

The case exposes the problems faced by local authorities who want to shut parents up. \u00a0There is a growing number of parents aggrieved by the loss of their children and the injustice they say they have faced in the family courts. \u00a0They are beginning to gather together in social media groups. \u00a0And they feel they have very little to lose. \u00a0SR herself told the judge: ‘I’ve lost everything. \u00a0Medway have destroyed my life and my family. \u00a0Send me to prison if you want.’<\/p>\n

The truth is, the establishment can only go down its given routes. \u00a0Suppose a parent (or even this ministry) shares information contrary to Section 12 of the Administration of Justice Act 1960<\/a><\/strong>, which forbids publication of ‘information relating to proceedings … under the Children Act 1989’. \u00a0Or a parent (not this ministry) names their child on social media contrary to Section 97 of the Children Act 1989<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

All the annoyed local authority can do is apply for the parent (or journalist) to be sent to prison. \u00a0They only have that blunt instrument of a weapon. \u00a0But employing it creates more publicity around the initial injustice.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the parent must now be named in public. \u00a0When a respondent shows no fear of consequences and desires the publicity, such sanctions play into their hands. \u00a0They are, in the classic expression, ‘using the system against itself.’<\/p>\n

A previous Mayor of Medway writes<\/h2>\n

After emailing our previous story on this case<\/a><\/strong> to Councillors in Medway, one Councillor Stuart Tranter responded. \u00a0Cllr Tranter was Mayor until Cllr Wildey took over this year. \u00a0What he wrote perfectly illustrates the complacency of those in charge of Medway Council:<\/p>\n

‘I always welcome the truth, and if you believe something is wrong I suggest you use the courts and other proper means to have the evidence examined.’<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/a>
Former Mayor of Medway, Councillor Stuart Tranter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No, Councillor Tranter, we are the media. \u00a0We are part of the Fourth Estate, holding those in power to account. \u00a0Those in power include local authorities, social workers, advocates, judges and indeed councillors. \u00a0We are not going to court, and what ‘other proper means’ are there? \u00a0Media is a ‘proper means’ and the only court we shall use is the court of public opinion.<\/p>\n

He goes on: \u00a0‘Cllr Alan Jarratt (current leader) and Cllr David Wildey are good people working hard for our community, yet you imply they are running a council which sets out to harm innocent people. But living in Wales, I doubt you know them or how this council really works. We may be imperfect, but we do our best to get things right with the resources we have.’<\/p>\n

Indeed, us humble sheep-rearing folk know nothing of the high-minded ways of the Home Counties. \u00a0But we can spot an injustice when we see one. \u00a0Furthermore, a local authority and its councillors should display more humility than ‘we may be imperfect’ and acknowledge their mistakes.<\/p>\n

He that troubleth Israel!<\/h2>\n

Cllr Tranter continues: \u00a0‘I found all I read about you and your organisation and your beliefs negative and disturbing, so I must assume you thrive on causing disturbance which reinforces your beliefs and gives you energy. I hope that one day you get the help you need to find peace.’<\/p>\n

Wow! \u00a0When you lose the argument, try the ad hominem attack. \u00a0Now who was it who said, ‘You are stirring up trouble!’ \u00a0The idolatrous king Ahab said it to the Prophet Elijah. \u00a0Here is the full discourse:<\/p>\n

1Kings 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.<\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Baalim’ were false gods. \u00a0Israel had departed from the laws of the Lord, just like Medway Council in stripping children from their parents because a house is untidy. \u00a0Thanks for that, Councillor. \u00a0And you will only find peace in the Lord Jesus, who told his followers:<\/p>\n

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just click on the buttons below to share this story in your social media network:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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A mother in dispute with social services was found guilty yesterday of contempt of court. \u00a0The case has not yet concluded so we shall refer to her as ‘SR’. Sitting at Maidstone County Court, in open court, Judge Richard Polden held ‘SR’ had \u00a0breached an injunction forbidding her from naming her children and reporting on 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Policing & Crime<\/a> Social Services & Child Abduction<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"A mother in dispute with social services was found guilty yesterday of contempt of court. \u00a0The case has not yet concluded so we shall refer to her as ‘SR’. Sitting at Maidstone County Court, in open court, Judge Richard Polden held ‘SR’ had \u00a0breached an injunction forbidding her from naming her children and reporting on…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}