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A Lewisham nurse "abducted" her daughter to Ghana (Credit: Stock picture from Pixabay)

PICTURED: A Lewisham nurse "abducted" her daughter to Ghana (Credit: Stock picture from Pixabay)

EXCLUSIVE BY:

Matthew Dresch

Lewisham nurse “abducted” girl, 4, to Ghana without dad’s consent

A LEWISHAM nurse “abducted” her four-year-old daughter and dumped her in Ghana without her father’s permission, a court heard.

The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been fighting a long-running legal battle with the dad to bar the child’s return to the UK.

She even questioned the paternity of the child last year by demanding the father take a DNA test, claiming she had a “one night stand” with another man in 2016.

High Court Judge Mr Justice Harrison said the application was made “out of spite” and warned that the child – referred to as A in the proceedings – had suffered “long-term consequences” as a result of the traumatic experience.

He said: “In my judgement she is a child who is likely to have suffered emotional harm.

“The mother describes A as a resilient child. Maybe so, but it is a resilience borne of adversity. 

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“In my judgement, the repeated losses A has suffered from a young age are likely to have long-term consequences for her.” 

The judge said the child had suffered harm as a result of being “abducted to and left in Ghana” without either of her parents. 

He added that she would also have been affected by having limited contact with her mum – and none with her father for a prolonged period.

The mother and father first met in Ghana in 2012 and were married in 2015, with the child being born in 2017.

The dad, who was born in Ghana but lived in London, secured a spousal visa for the mother and child in 2017 and they moved into his one-bedroom flat.

However, the relationship soon soured – in part due to the father’s use of cannabis – and the mum moved out of the flat with their daughter in 2019. 

The High Court heard how the mum and daughter were effectively homeless and sought help from Lewisham Social Services.

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Despite the break-up, the father – who could not easily leave his flat as he had his dialysis machine installed there – tried to maintain contact with the mum and child. She rejected his offers of money.

She then took their daughter to Ghana without informing the dad and left her in the care of her maternal grandmother before returning to the UK.

She was able to do this after obtaining a Ghanaian passport for their daughter, writing on the application form that she was not in contact with the father. 

Mr Justice Harrison said: “Her actions were plainly a violation of the father’s parental responsibility as well as a ‘wrongful removal’ under Art 7 of the 1996 Hague Convention.

“She may also have committed a criminal offence contrary to section 1 of the Child Abduction Act 1984, although that is not an issue I have to decide.

“From A’s perspective, being separated from her primary carer at the age of four and abandoned in an unfamiliar country is likely to have caused her serious emotional harm.” 

The High Court heard that the mum “concealed” the move from the father, who only found out about it in court in 2022 after making a child arrangements application. 

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Mr Justice Harrison said he believed the mother took the child to Ghana because she felt unable to care for her properly while juggling working as a bank nurse – working night shifts – and studying.

The father, who holds regular calls with his daughter, has been battling for her return to the UK since he found out about the move.

However, in his latest judgement on the case Mr Justice Harrison ruled the girl should stay in Ghana as her mother now plans to return to her home country to live with her.

He said that if the child was brought back to the UK, the father would likely have to become her primary carer due to her mother’s working hours.

The judge added that he had concerns that the girl would be at risk due to the father’s lack of experience, poor health, ongoing cannabis use and uncertain health prognosis. 

He said: “I find that the risks for A in such an outcome are at present too great when compared to the alternative proposal advocated by the mother.” 

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