Englishmum

You might want to read up on the "Hague Convention". The US and UK are both signatories to it.

My best friend, an Aussie living here on a Green Card divorced her husband - although he lived in the same house to look after the kids (aged 7 and 3) whilst she went to work. Their relationship deteriorated really badly last Summer - so much so that he spat in her face in front of her mother who was visiting, and she had to call the police and get a restraining order.

The granny thought the kids shouldn't be living in such an atmosphere and both parents agreed that they could go on an extended visit to stay in Sydney, Australia whilst their mother could put in extra long hours at work to pay off the ex-husband's debts. The ex himself moved back to Oz in September, but on the Gold Coast near Brisbane. The children were there until November and he didn't once come and see them and the grandparents had to pay for flights up to Brisbane so they could have some contact with their dad.

Come late November, the granny checked in at Sydney airport with the kids to fly back to New York. However, it seems that the ex had hacked/obtained the passwords to his ex-wife's e-mail account, got the flight details and went to a magistrate in Brisbane on a Sunday morning to bar the children from flying back to the US (the youngest one was born in the States). They were all detained by the Immigration and Australian Federal Police at the airport and the father never even turned up there.....the kids were allowed to return to their grandparent's house pending a court date.

My friend (at great expense) managed to find a solicitor experienced in international child abduction. Under the Hague Convention, if both countries have signed it, the children *must* be returned to the country where they were settled..for example if they had lived in the same place for around 6 months or more. The father didn't have a leg to stand on and after mediation so he could make some demands (which my friend gave in to) the children arrived back in the US with their mother and granny on 30th December.

Partystar: it was unbelievable the amount of stress my friend had to endure and the relationship between the parents has gone beyond hate. Even now, her daughter is still traumatized and her dearest wish is for her parents to reunite. It will never happen as both parents have formed new relationships.

There is a wealth of info about what can happen when parents split up and one of them takes their offspring back to their 'home country' here:

http://www.reunite.org

franc11s

Double life.. The facts as I heard them

1. DA actually said, they think it was a murder suicide gone wrong
2. The gun was his father in laws, went missing. I thought I heard that it was then "put back" after the shooting !! Either way, he planned it.
3. He ran up debts in the UK and ran to the USA with his wife and kid (away from the creditors).
4. On arriving to USA, he tried a porn internet scam
5. He moved into a huge house that the DA said there was NO way he could ever pay.
6. He went for a couple of job interviews a few days before (maybe he didn't plan it!!).

Either way, very sad for two young lives

Rete

Don't find it too strange Taffyles.

I know next to nothing about my husband's finances in Canada, i.e. his pension, credit card debt, banking information, tax information, etc. Not my preference but when I ask I get told, Don't worry about it.

And here in the States, he knows little about our financial situation, i.e. retirement funds, bank accounts, credit cards, or my salary. His preference. He doesn't want to know and leaves the finances strictly up to me.

anotherlimey

He's a pussy.... you need Jang Lee Hwang

He's so badass... just look at that hair.

Angry White Pyjamas

Whoa Im a not messin with that hair n 'tache bro. Thats one mean muth frackin dude.

Schnorbitz

Karma for that; he looks like one mean mofo!

BigDavyG

That 'tache actually used to be his right eyebrow, but then i roundhoused him and ...

anotherlimey

You should see what he can do with his legs, it's just ridiculous; in some scenes it looks like his legs have detached from his body.

Schnorbitz

Which makes you a mean mofo also. This place is full of 'ard cases.

Oi......wotulookinat, u want sommadis?

Schnorbitz

I've seen some movies like that. I don't think he was in them and it was less 'tache and more beard

BigDavyG

On a semi-related matter I've always wanted to know why in the flick Snatch that 'minerals' seems to be used as slang for balls - the repeatedly say stuff like...'What's wrong you slag, you lost your minerals or sumat'
Could someone please explain.

Thanks

anotherlimey

He's the original badass: From the IMDB bio:

That's almost a Chuck Norris

Or more likely a case of Chinese whispers.

Partystar

I remember you posting about this when it all went down at Christmas/New Years. Thanx for the info, I must add again, that my intension's are not to skip the country. However I am intrigued about this, because I know my Mum took us out of the country when we were younger & no one said anything to her! Not that our Dad gave a rats arse about where we were anyway!

Celtic_Angel

I think you'd only really get a prob if the kids had U.s passports and you had a U.k one...why would they even blink an eye otherwise...and i know what you mean..if hubby and i became estranged ..you're damn sure i'd take the kids..and he'd have no say in the matter.....having said that i'm positive he'd always put the kids first and realsie that he couldn't look after them by himself...only a vindictive bastard would cause any grief for the mother

Angry White Pyjamas

Legally he has every say in the matter.