Change UK law and 'listen to the voices of children', says mother of boys killed by abusive ex-husband

As Claire Throssell cradled her two dying sons in her arms, she promised both that no more children would be killed at the hands of someone who should protect and love them most.

Now, six years after their father ambushed them in an arson attack, a petition that Ms Throssell supports calling for a change in British family law has gained 50,000 signatures in a week.

The campaign, Child First: Safe Child Contact Saves Lives, launched by the leading domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid is urging the Lord Chancellor to ensure that the family court takes children’s feelings into account when considering custody and access cases. So far, more than 72,500 people have signed the petition.

It is time, Ms Throssell says, to put an end to a “deadly culture” in the family court system - and time to put children at the heart of judgements about parental contact by listening to their voices.

Darren Sykes with his two sons Paul (left), and Jack. Shutterstock

The last words that her own boys, Jack, 12, and Paul, nine, spoke to her were on the morning of October 22, 2014, when she dropped them to school and told them she loved them. “To infinity and beyond,” they responded, as they did every morning.

Later that day, Jack and Paul were lured to the house of their father, Darren Sykes, in South Yorkshire with the promise of an expensive new model railway set. As they played in the attic, Sykes, 44, barricaded them in with a chair under the handle of the door, poured petrol around the house and started an inferno.

Paul died after being pulled from the flames by firefighters, and Jack, with burns to more than 50 per cent of his body, died five days later in hospital. At the inquest into Sykes’s death, the coroner said that he had died from inhaling the by-products of the fire. A verdict of suicide was recorded.

Ms Throssell, 48, had not wanted Sykes to have unsupervised contact with the boys, having been the victim of years of domestic abuse by her ex-husband. Her sons, she says, had decided that they did not want to see him after months of custody hearings. The family court awarded Sykes unsupervised contact for a certain number of hours a week.

“No parent should have to hold their children and comfort them as they die, or be told that their child has been harmed in an act of revenge or rage,” Ms Throssell said.

“My son Jack’s dying words were, ‘My dad did this and he did it on purpose’.

“Throughout the whole humiliating and barbaric family court experience we had endured, Jack’s voice had never been heard. His dying testimony was the only time his voice was heard.

“Too often, unsafe rulings are made in a hostile and intimidating room where children like Jack and Paul’s voices are lost, their wishes unheard and feelings ignored.

Claire Throssell speaks at a UK parliamentary committee. Courtesy Women's Aid

“Tragically, these children are merely letters on serious case reviews, but their lives, however short, must be recognised and remembered for who they were – children let down and harmed by government bodies, which did not do enough to protect them.”

Ms Throssell and Women’s Aid hope that the Child First petition will protect other families from similar tragedy by bringing about an amendment to legislation to put children’s safety at the centre of any decisions made by family courts about contact with a known perpetrator of domestic abuse.

They point to a review of the family courts earlier this year by the Ministry of Justice which found that a “pro-contact” culture – a commitment to maintaining contact between a child and both parents – minimised allegations of domestic abuse.

US election: live news

Liverpool introducing citywide Covid-19 testing in pilot scheme

The campaign is seeking to change the legal presumption of parental involvement in the Children Act 1989 for cases in which offspring are at risk of harm from abuse, to make clear that contact arrangements must be based on the child’s best interests.

According to Nicki Norman, the acting chief executive of Women’s Aid, there have been real changes in the family court response to domestic abuse since the Child First campaign and petition were launched in 2016.

“These include new guidance for judges in making decisions about child contact in domestic abuse cases, a commitment to ban abusers cross-examining victims in the family courts, and a major Ministry of Justice review of the family courts led by an expert panel,” Ms Norman said.

“Survivors continue to tell us that their abusers use the family courts as a weapon of coercive control, and that unsafe decisions impact their children’s safety and welfare.

“Since we launched this petition, we know at least two further children have been killed by an abusive parent in circumstances related to unsafe child contact. We cannot wait any longer. We must change the presumption of parental involvement in domestic abuse cases – for good.”

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.	United States
2.	China
3.	UAE
4.	Japan
5	Norway
6.	Canada
7.	Singapore
8.	Australia
9.	Saudi Arabia
10.	South Korea

The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre V8

Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm

Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: L/100km

Price: Dh306,495

On sale: now

Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier

Fixtures
Friday, April 12, Malaysia v UAE
Saturday, April 13, UAE v Nepal
Monday, April 15, UAE v Kuwait
Tuesday, April 16, UAE v Singapore
Thursday, April 18, UAE v Oman

UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Aaron Benjamin, Akasha Mohammed, Alishan Sharafu, Anand Kumar, Ansh Tandon, Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Rishab Mukherjee, Niel Lobo, Osama Hassan, Vritya Aravind, Wasi Shah

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

More from Neighbourhood Watch:

Wadi Al Helo, the 'sweet valley' of the UAE

The village community hidden among the skyscrapers of new Dubai

A rare glimpse of Bedouin life in the humble border town of Qoa

Timeline

1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line

1962
250 GTO is unveiled

1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company

1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens

1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made

1987
F40 launched

1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent

2002
The Enzo model is announced

2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi

2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled

2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives

2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company

2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street

2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Rest

(Because Music)

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Specs

Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)

Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)

Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)

While you're here

David Frum: What Joe Biden has to fix - and preserve - from the Donald Trump era

Michael Young: Joe Biden must establish a post-American order in the Middle East

Firas Maksad: For the Middle East, Joe Biden is no Barack Obama

Tips to avoid getting scammed

1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday

2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment

3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone

4) Try not to close the sale at night

5) Don't be rushed into a sale

6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour

Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series

Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.

- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law

• Remittance charges will be tackled by blockchain

• UAE's monumental and risky Mars Mission to inspire future generations, says minister

• Could the UAE drive India's economy?

• News has a bright future and the UAE is at the heart of it

• Architecture is over - here's cybertecture

• The National announces Future of News journalism competition

• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come