Jerseygirl

Being as this subject is often discussed in this forum I thought this article may be of interest.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...e-charges.html

Englishmum

Hmmmm. It's a very badly written article. She didn't 'return' to the UK. She's an American citizen, as are the children. When she got divorced from her American husband, she moved out of State to California, and then surreptitiously moved with the children to the Isle of Wight, not even informing her parents that she'd moved to the UK.

It doesn't mention whether or not she was a dual national when she fled the US (perhaps she has British Citizenship now as she's been in the UK for 15 years?) and it isn't clear how she actually managed to move with the children to the UK - perhaps she married the Canadian guy first and then moved with him to the Isle of Wight?

I don't know how she managed to get the visas (assuming the children weren't dual nationals) I would have thought that when UK residency visas are issued the British Embassy would want to see notarised papers stating that the children's father had no objection to them moving to the UK? (She may even have obtained their visas fraudulently?).

As far as I can make out, she's a US citizen, the children are Americans too and she broke the law in the US. Perhaps it's time for her to face the music?

Jerseygirl

Most of the DM's articles are badly researched and written.

moneypenny20

15 years living in the UK 'openly'. The FBI aren't very good are they?

Karrie72

I do feel sorry for her, but...what about the fathers rights? Imagine if it was the other way around and the father took off with the kids to America. As a mother I'd be devastated and pretty angry tbh.

kimilseung

The kids age by between 1 and 2 years in the space of about 6 lines.

formula

Strange title for this thread. This woman didn't "return to UK"; she is an American who took her 3 young American children from their American father and left the US to move to the UK, without the fathers permission. The article states that both parents retained legal custody. She didn't even tell the father or the US courts, where she had taken these children and the US have been looking for them.

Having found her nearly 5 years ago, the US have issued a warrant against their own citizen for ‘international parental kidnapping’ and the US want the UK to sent her back home to the US to face her charges.
A US grand jury eventually indicted her with the kidnapping charge after Mrs Clark moved to Britain with the children, who are also US citizens.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-17124014

How have these children been legally living in the UK all these years, without the proof that the father gave his permission for his children live in the UK?

That sums up the general comments at the end of that article and no sympathy for her from the readers.

It's the father and the rest of the family I feel sorry for. Imagine not knowing where the children are or even if they are still alive.

formula

Comments in the readers section of the following article, from the ex sister in law.
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/you..._list/?ref=rss

Pollyana

The OP did ask for the title to be changed a few hours ago but I was out getting a life for once, so I've only just got the request

Back2UK

Didn't Dr Phil have a show sometime ago with the father regarding this case.

Giantaxe

What an appallingly sad case. The comments of the sister in law are quite moving. I have no sympathy with this mother, and the strategy of trying to conflate this with the controversy over the UK/US extradition treaty is just a smokescreen. I hope she gets sent back to the US to face the justice system regarding her actions.

Sally Redux

What on Earth do those Mail photographers say?

"Right, let's get you all lined up and looking as cruel and arrogant as possible please"?

formula

You're right. I just googled it and it seems both sons have already been back to America to stay with their father and step mother.
http://www.kasa.com/dpps/news/crime/...e-jail_3774542

From the articles I read, they state the mother's reasons for not wanting to be sent back to her homeland to face what she did, seem to range from being worried that the UK won't let her back in, to being scared of flying.

moneypenny20

DM have awesome reporters. From reading their article I assumed it had kicked off in the past week, however, reading the Oxford Mail article shows the story is two years old and the children have already met the father.

formula

The third sentence in the DM article made it clear this was not recent:-

But two years ago she was arrested at her Oxfordshire home after the FBI put her on its ‘most wanted’ list.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1nHU91vTy

It's been a long process as she is unwilling to return home. The US then had to get the correct warrant to ask the UK to extradite their own citizen back to the US and then she is using the British legal system to stop her extradition back home. It takes years. The DM article was about the most recent court round where the judge didn't accept her legal teams reasons for her not being returned home.