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Child Abduction

Family breakdown is never easy. It is especially difficult if your relationship has an international element and you wish to return to your home country and take your child with you. Likewise, you may be a parent concerned that your child is going to be removed from your care.

Removing a child from their carer without the necessary permission of the other parent or an Order of the Court may be a criminal offence, not to mention the distress and upset that follows such action.

What can you do to prevent child abduction?

You may be concerned that the other parent is planning to take your child from you.

There are a number of legal and practical steps that can be taken to safeguard against this happening including Court Orders to restrict where your child can be taken and preventing a passport from being issued.

In such cases it is important you seek expert legal advice as soon as you believe there is a risk to your child. Our family lawyers are very experienced in such issues.

If you have a fear of imminent child abduction you can also contact the Police who can issue a port alert putting all air and sea ports on notice. You should also seek immediate expert legal advice.

What can you do to get your child back?

Speed is of the essence. The remedies available will depend on where your child has been taken.

If it is to a Hague Convention Country and/or the European Union the abduction should be registered with the Department of Constitutional Affairs, Child Abduction Unit. Advice should also be sought from us and solicitors in the country to which your child has been abducted. We can help you with the process.

If you believe your child could be abducted please contact us.

Mark

Mark Smith

Partner

0845 450 5558

Mark joined the firm in 1998 and is a partner in the Family Team in Exeter. Mark deals with all aspects of family work, including adoption and civil partnerships. Mark has considerable experience in both private and public law children matters including international relocation cases and is a member of the Law Society's Childrens Panel.

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Bill

Bill Wilkins

Partner

0845 450 5558

Bill is a partner in the Family Team and joined Stephens Scown in 1993.

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Jo

Jo Stone

Partner

0845 450 5558

Jo is a partner in charge of the Truro Family Team and deals with a range of family matters, disputes concerning children, injunction work and representing unmarried couples on separation.

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Peter

Peter Marshall

Partner

0845 450 5558

Peter is a partner in the Cornwall Family Team and heads up the St Austell office having joined the firm in 1994. He deals with all aspects of family and children work.

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Michael

Michael Lowry

Partner

0845 450 5558

Michael is a partner and Team Leader for the Cornwall Family Team. He is a specialist family lawyer and qualified and practised in London before moving to Cornwall.

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Andrew

Andrew Lobb

Associate

0845 450 5558

Andrew has a background acting for both private clients and the County Council. He specialises in all aspects of family and particularly child care work acting for children and family members as well as carrying out his own advocacy in both magistrates and county courts.

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Chris

Chris Morse

Legal Executive

0845 450 5558

Chris joined the firm at the beginning of 2008 having moved to Exeter. Having qualified as a Legal Executive specialising in family law in 2009, he works alongside Bill Wilkins in dealing with all aspects of family law.

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Ed

Ed Bidder

Paralegal

0845 450 5558

Ed joined Stephens Scown in 2006 from Exeter County Court, having developed four years' experience in the family department and customer service manager roles.

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Fiona

Fiona Cavell

Associate

0845 450 5558

Fiona is an Associate and well established member of the Family Team, having joined in 1991.

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Kris

Kris Seed

Associate

0845 450 5558

Kris deals with all areas of family law and has a wealth of experience dealing with financial disputes within divorce and contested proceedings regarding children.

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Nick

Nick Gibbins

Associate

0845 450 5558

Nick is an Associate based in the Family Team in St Austell.

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Sarah

Sarah Bell

Solicitor

0845 450 5558

Having trained with Stephens Scown, Sarah qualified as a solicitor specialising in family law in April 2004.

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Sarah

Sarah Walls

Solicitor

0845 450 5558

Sarah is a Solicitor in the Exeter Family Team working in all areas of Family Law.

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Claire

Claire Joyner

Trainee Legal Executive

0845 450 5558

Claire joined the firm at the end of 2009 having moved to Exeter from Bristol and is a Trainee Legal Executive in the family department.

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This six-partner team is spread across offices in Truro, Exeter and St Austell. Its highly skilled lawyers handle some of the region's most complicated financial cases, and also undertake a range of children work. Sources say: "They have built up a very good reputation for money work involving businesses and farms." One impressed observer noted that "they are the best in the South West" for farming cases.

Independent legal guide

Chambers and Partners 2011

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