Domestic Violence - false claims

[slakes99]

I have a very complex case to which I have been given conflicting advice from lawyers

Firstly, I very highly commend the protection of any victims of domestic violence and it is reassuring that measures are being taken to eliminate violence. However, there is another side of this which recently I have been a victim of somebody abusing this system.

It seems that ANY report of domestic violence against women in Spain where I live results in an arrest where it seems that you are guilty until proven innocent.

In my case, I have had to contend with intimidation, provocation, accusations, insinuations and threats from my wife and her family since I set proceeding in place to have my daughter returned home to Spain after she was abducted last year. She was returned under European law using Hague convention. Despite everything that has been thrown at me, I have always remained calm for the sake of my daughter

My lawyer was advised of this behaviour numerous times throughout this year but nothing was done to stop this. I even provided statements about this behaviour from schools, parc infantils and general witnesses. I tried to ensure that a witness was present any time the mother had contact for this reason.

Recently, my wife took this one step further by falsely accusing me of assault and in doing so, resulted in me spending the evening in jail. I do not condemn the police for the actions. As I said, it is reassuring that claims of this nature are taken seriously but in my case I am absolutely innocent so feel that maybe the system gives too much scope for abuse. I had witness with me to state that it did not happen.

This has affected me on so many levels. The night in jail was terrifying for me as I have never been in trouble with the police in my life and don’t intend to. I have not slept well at all since that day. Also the humiliation in taking me to court in handcuffs, the slur on my character, but more than anything, the sheer heartbreak of taking my daughter away from my custody and taken to the UK again without my consent as a result of my wife's malicious actions. She was issued a temporary order for custody pending a verdict and pending application by the mother to remove. This has caused me to take time off work, I’ve been very emotional with obvious reason but at the same time trying to remain strong and focused in the belief that the court will see through her lies and return my daughter home

I am absolutely broken hearted that my daughter has now been taken away from her life, her friends, her school and her father because of an engineered malicious and false accusation made against me. This at the moment feels like my whole world has been torn apart. She won’t even disclose where my daughter is or provide a contact number for her.

[Fontanals Solicitors]

We understand your uneasiness for the situation that you are suffering, but please note that we need you to contact us directly to be able to provide you any legal advice.