An important court decision comes as both vindication and redemption, "carrying" its own semantics, at a time when there is an explosion of allegations of domestic violence. A victory against abusive behaviour is the verdict of justice, according to which a mother who had been a victim of violence in front of her three-year-old child takes full custody of him.
In particular, according to a decision of the Thessaloniki Court of First Instance, issued last week, parental custody is completely removed from the father, which gives relief to the mother who for years had been climbing her own Calvary.
As established through the case file, brought to light by protothema.gr, the woman was forced to apply for the acquisition of full custody of the child while she was separated from her husband and saw worrying signs on his part.
By preventing the manifestation of extreme morbid actions against her minor child, she won her almost a decade-long struggle. The reason why the woman pursued the legal route was the father's problematic yet indifferent, for the sake of the child, attitude.
A chronic substance abuser, the ex-husband would disappear for long periods of time, indifferent to the child, forgetting not only to call but also to pick him up at the appointed times.
As if that wasn't enough, while he was separated from his ex-wife, in a moment of disagreement with her, he provoked an incident by threatening and beating her, even in front of their child.
The beginning of the relationship, the divorce and the threats
The bell of concern began to ring louder as the years went by, with the mother of the child making the decision, last year, to petition the courts to gain full custody of her child. Her application noted, in particular, that her ex-husband had exhibited "malpractice."
The man, for his part, was attempting to thwart the child's mother's pursuit, but having disappeared, according to the case file, to Germany in previous years.
Meanwhile, the father's appeal was rejected a short time ago - following the conviction against him for the offence of domestic assault in front of the child.
The former couple's life bore witness to its turbulent nature from the very beginning. The two were married in 2011 in a civil marriage, but shortly afterwards and due to intense friction, they proceeded to a consensual divorce.
In 2013, the mother was given custody of the child, while her ex-husband was granted contact rights. The man also paid the monthly amount of 150 euros for alimony.
At first glance, one might have thought that everything would go smoothly, but the development of the story contradicted the expectations of smooth communication between the former couple.
Despite the consensual divorce, relations between the boy's parents became particularly problematic.
Despite the consensual divorce, relations between the boy's parents developed very problematic.
According to the case file, the father had filed lawsuits against his ex-wife alleging that she was violating what had been agreed upon regarding contact with his son.
However, it was found that in 2015, the man exhibited inconsistent behavior, failing to show up at the scheduled times for meetings with the child. In 2016, the traces of the boy's father disappeared, with only confusing information about his relocation to Germany.
The psychiatric examination
A few years later, the man was ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination to determine whether he could communicate with his son, and it should be noted that he was a chronic substance abuser, particularly of cannabis.
For three consecutive years thereafter, the man did not even attempt to have basic communication with the child despite the fact that there was no legal impediment at the time.
During the time the parents were separated and before the child was well into her fourth birthday, the father displayed abusive behaviour, committing an abhorrent act.
Surrendering to a crescendo of violence, he threatened and attacked his ex-wife.
Since the separation of his parents, the 10-year-old son has been living in Thessaloniki with his mother, who has two other children from her second marriage. She is solely responsible for the custody and expenses of her child from the first marriage and runs a small business.
She feels vindicated by the court's decision to completely remove parental responsibility from her ex-husband. The fear of abuse against her child was evident after the outbursts of violence from the minor's father. It should be noted that also with the bull of justice, since last Friday, the entire parental care was assigned exclusively to the mother.
The psychologist of the minor child and technical consultant Clinical and Judicial Psychologist, Tessa Christodoulou speaking to protothema.gr spoke of a very important decision that resulted in the removal of Parental Care from the father of the child who not only displayed a highly abusive behavior towards the mother (Conviction for Domestic Violence & Defamation) but also towards his minor son (threatening, abusive and risky behaviour during communication hours) while his vindictive reactions were constant and manifested with tension or confrontational mood
According to Ms Christodoulou, the juvenile had been exposed to violence against his mother and through psychometric assessment (using projective tests, the Child Tracing and Free Play) he recounted in detail a series of situations that caused him feelings of anger and fear towards his mother. Thus after a long legal battle both the juvenile and the mother were vindicated through court decisions.
"His reactions both during the sessions and later up to the father's relocation were often very intense; he was mostly afraid and wanted to take responsibility for protecting his mother, blaming himself for not being able to prevent her. Domestic violence should be reported if it poses a serious risk to both the physical and mental health of the victims," concludes the clinical psychologist.
Source: Proto Thema
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