Product Description

This is one man's harrowing story of frustration and determination as he battled for access rights to his young daughters following the bitter break-up of his marriage. Incredibly, his was a journey that spanned almost ten years, with 133 hearings by 33 judges, and which reportedly cost the taxpayer over GBP1 million. What should have been a "simple contact dispute" somehow resulted in this innocent family man effectively being criminalized by the family courts, resulting in a stretch on the A Wing of the infamous Pentonville prison, which housed convicted murderers, terrorists, gun runners and drug dealers. Mark Harris eventually took his case public and the campaign for fathers' rights took off - with the formation of Fathers 4 Justice. This is a shocking story that deserves to be heard.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #290902 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Daily Mail, 25 June 2007
" surely this case is reason enough why family courts should be open to the public..."

BBC Radio 2, Jeremy Vine Show, 25 June 2007
" to jail a father for waving to his own children brings the entire legal system in Britain into disrepute..."

Richard & Judy, 2 July 2007
" the court's did nothing for these children...they were left to get justice for themselves..."

Customer Reviews

A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
To Jail a father for waving to his children while knowing that the mothers boyfriend was abusing the children beggars belief. The more this case is made public knowledge the quicker change for the good of all will arrive. So good to read how the girls took on the courts and won!

Whatever happened to the Children Act....
As a woman of nearly 40, I have had to live through the pain of never seeing my father or ever knowing him because my parents divorced when I was a baby. I was in tears reading Family Court Hell. The Children Act in 1989 was intended to stop these blights on people's lives, but reading both Mark Harris and his daughter Lisa's accounts of what happened to them proves the Act changed nothing. If the mother wants rid of the father, these dreadful men and women who work as judges seem to facilitate it. As always, only the lawyers gain from what takes place, I think this book with the author's suggestions, should become a vehicle to change the law.

The Story of A Brave Father who Waged War on the Family Courts
Mark Harris is the original Matt O'Connor. He was not prepared to suffer the family courts in silence and they sent him to jail as a result. His tireless efforts to shame judges into making the right decisions and his constant battle to protect his family makes shocking reading. Lisa's contribution to the book brings the children's suffering into focus. The naming and shaming is brave - but that typifies the man who would not desert his daughters.