Sex offender loses bid to keep baby

A convicted sex offender has failed in his 11th-hour bid to prevent
Gloucestershire Council taking his baby into care as soon as it is
born next week.

The man, who was convicted in 1995 of having sex with an under-age
girl, said the council’s decision amounted to a violation of his,
his partner’s and the child’s human rights. But High Court judge,
Mr Justice Munby, dismissed the judicial review claim saying it
needed to be heard in the specialist family court.

The council plans to apply for an emergency protection order the
moment the baby is born, which would see it placed with a foster
family while psychological tests are carried out on the
couple.

Next month, the council plans to return the child to the parents
for a period of residential assessment during which the pair’s
suitability as parents will be examined.

Justice Munby urged the couple to show they could “make a go” of
looking after the child and “make the best you can of the
opportunities”.

Speaking outside the court, the father-to-be said he was
considering taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights,
saying that the “issue of human rights has not been addressed”.