A BARNSLEY MP has praised the Prime Minister for backing a locally-started law change bid spearheaded by an inspirational mother who lost her two sons in a house fire started by their abusive father.
Marie Tidball, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, spoke about the horrific murders of Jack and Paul Sykes, from Penistone, in 2014, when their dad Paul set fire to their house during a court-granted, unsupervised access visit.
Sykes had a known history of domestic abuse, including making statements that he was capable of killing.
Despite this, he was granted five hours of unsupervised contact per week with the boys, who were lulled to the home’s attic before he started the fire.
Their mother, Claire Throssell MBE, has been tirelessly campaigning to end the presumption of contact rule and Prime Minister Sir Kerr Starmer paid tribute to her in Parliament last week.
Ms Tidball urged the Prime Minister to change the law to protect children from domestically abusive parents by removing the presumption of contact.
“Since their death a decade ago, Jack and Paul’s mother, Claire, has been a tireless campaigner to remove the presumption of contact, and ensure children’s voices are at the heart of our family courts,” she said.
“The father who murdered Jack and Paul had a known history of domestic abuse, including making statements that he was capable of killing.
“Despite this, he was granted five hours of unsupervised contact per week with the boys.
“Our government must do what the previous government failed to do - by taking a child-centred approach and changing the law on presumption of contact.
“No more towns left to grieve the way my hometown has.
“Jack and Paul would never have been in the reach of a known domestic abuser were it not for the presumption of contact.
“This legal principle facilitates parents being given contact with their children, even in circumstances where a parent is a known domestic abuser.
“We don’t know the true scale of the problem, and there is likely to be a far larger number of children murdered by domestically abusive parents, because only ten per cent of family court rulings are published.”
In response to the MP’s question, the Prime Minister added: “I pay tribute to Marie for raising this critical issue.
“I particularly pay tribute to Claire - her courage and strength are outstanding.
“Family courts must never be a tool that domestic abusers can use to continue their appalling abuse.
“We are expanding a number of Pathfinder courts to protect the welfare of children and are reviewing the presumption of involvement that she raises.”
Claire - who recently handed in a 105,000-strong petition to Downing Street urging the government to put an end to avoidable child deaths - called on ministers to prioritise the safety of children by ending unsafe child contact with perpetrators of domestic abuse.
“This government must now act to save the lives of children for generations to come by ending contact at any cost,” she added.
“Let’s not just imagine a world where the voice of children are put at the heart of our family court system.
“I urge the government to make that world a reality.
“For far too long children’s voices have been lost in the family courts and for far too long survivors of domestic abuse and their children are made to feel invisible.
“I was filled with renewed hope that this government will do the right thing - not the easy thing and repeal presumption from the Children’s Act altogether.”
