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- The father in child abduction proceedings had applied for directions to implement a return order. The mother had brought the children from Texas to England in 2017, and had been ordered to return them. The Court of Appeal had held that it would be intolerable to return the children to the USA without their mother, but her application for a humanitarian parole visa had been rejected by the American immigration service. Knowles J was unable to vary the Court of Appeal's order, and so did not have the jurisdiction to entertain the father's application. The parties would have to consider whether to apply to the Court of Appeal for reconsideration of its order. However, she urged them to consider a child-focused, consensual end to the litigation, before further hearings eroded whatever goodwill remained. Judgment, 03/01/2020, free
- In brief: An unusual case involving a refusal to recognise a foreign order at first instance. The mother (“M”) had already successfully overturned a return order (returning the child to Russia) on the grounds that there were genuine fears she would be arrested on her return due to her political views. The father (“F”) successfully applied in Russia for an order that the child should no longer live with M and he sought to have this registered in England. The lower court’s decision to refuse to register the order was upheld on appeal; not only were F’s criticisms of the lower court rejected but M’s position that it would be contrary to the child’s best interests to return her to Russia was accepted. Judgment, 10/08/2018, free
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- How the Home Office handles applications to change names on official documents Practice note, 31/08/2016, free