E.C v J.F (Approved)

�IN THE MATTER OF THE CHILD ABDUCTION AND ENFORCEMENT OF CUSTODY ORDERS ACT 1991

������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������[2021 No.8 HLC]

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� [2021] IEHC 411

2.1������ The Convention requires an Applicant for return of a child to prove, on the balance of probabilities, that he has rights of custody, that he was exercising those rights and that the child was habitually resident in the relevant country at the time of removal or retention.� It is accepted by both parties that the children in this case were habitually resident in Northern Ireland until the time of their removal to Ireland and that the Applicant has rights of custody in respect of both.

4.1������ The next issue is whether or not the Applicant was exercising his custody rights. The law sets a relatively low bar for parents in the Applicant�s shoes.� Ms. Justice N� Raifeartaigh in N.J. v E. O'D [2018] IEHC 662 reviewed the authorities and summarised the situation saying that the courts must take a liberal view on the question of the exercise of custody rights and that the focus of the inquiry should be on whether the parent sought to have a relationship with the child, not merely on issues of financial assistance.