FATHER WHO IS CONVICTED RAPIST STRIPPED OF PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAUGHTER
A convicted rapist who was previously allowed to have unsupervised time with his child has been stripped of his parental responsibility.Kristoffer White, who has been described as a “danger to women and children”, failed to turn up to court last week for a hearing, attended by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), to determine the involvement he could have in his daughter’s life.
White has a criminal conviction for the rape of a stranger, and the family court found he had also raped the child’s mother on three occasions.
Judge Kambiz Moradifar was asked by the mother to revoke White’s parental responsibility and issue a barring order to limit his ability to bring the case back to court.
White’s ex-partner also asked the court to extend a non-molestation order – the equivalent of a restraining order – until her daughter’s 16th birthday.
Charlotte Proudman, the mother’s barrister, told the court: “The father inflicted devastating emotional harm on the whole family, including the child, which he continued to deny.
It’s hard to see how there can be any positive factors that justify the father being capable of exercising his parental rights.” Parental responsibility – which mothers automatically have and fathers have if they are married to the mother or named on the birth certificate – can only be removed by an order from the family court.
Stripping someone of this responsibility is seen as one of the court’s more severe powers.
White being able to liaise with the mother about the child’s medical records, school reports or other welfare matters would cause her emotional trauma as a victim of rape, Proudman argued.
Despite the serious findings made against him, including rape, by District Judge Sophie Harrison, White had previously been granted unsupervised access to his daughter after a recommendation by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass).
The order permitting contact was made in February but was overturned after a successful appeal by the mother.
White’s contact with the girl was suspended pending final court orders, and the matter was referred to Moradifar.
After the appeal, the TBIJ and journalist Suzanne Martin successfully applied to name White.
A new children’s guardian from Cafcass described White as “a danger to women and children” and “unsafe to have any involvement in [the child]’s or her family’s life”.
In court documents, the guardian’s barrister emphasized that Mr.
White is a risk as he has a conviction for rape, which he continues to deny, and he also denies proven findings in the family court, which include rape on three occasions, domestic abuse, and coercive control.
White served four years of a nine-year sentence for raping a teenager in 2008, after dragging her into a garden, threatening her life, and raping her twice.
He was identified through DNA evidence two years after the attack and convicted in 2011.
At Wednesday’s final hearing, Moradifar approved all of the mother’s applications, stating they were in the best interests of the child.
White had “disengaged” from proceedings and did not pursue his application for contact, which was dismissed, with an order of no contact between him and the child.
The mother expressed relief but also sadness, saying, “My daughter is better off with this outcome, but it’s sad that this is my child’s life.” The judge said he would provide detailed reasoning in a later written judgment.
The mother hopes her case will shed light on the family court system and Cafcass, emphasizing the need for professionals trained in domestic abuse and its impacts.
The Ministry of Justice stated that children’s safety is paramount and plans to introduce legislation to restrict parental responsibility for parents convicted of child sexual offenses.
