A Local Authority v F & Ors

This judgment was handed down remotely at 10.30am on 2 November 2022 by circulation to the parties or their representatives by e-mail and by release to the National Archives

                  In early 2020, AB was murdered by her husband, CD. With the assistance of two of his brothers, CD hid AB�s body so that its whereabouts were unknown until late 2020. At that time, AB�s body was discovered, buried in woodland. CD was found guilty of AB�s murder by a jury in early May 2022 and in June 2022, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years before he is eligible to be considered for parole.

                  AB was the mother of two of the three children with whom I am concerned and the step-mother of the third. Those children are: P, a boy of 14 years; Q, a boy of 8 years; and R, a girl of 6 years. Q and R are the children of AB and CD and P is the child of CD and his first wife, GH. All three children are� placed together in foster care under interim care orders made on 7 April 2020 following the arrest of CD. I shall refer to CD as �the father� and to AB as �the mother�.

                  The applications before the court were as follows:

a)                   the local authority sought care orders for each child on the basis of plans that they live in long-term foster care. The children have lived with their current foster carers since August 2021 and it is intended that these carers should be their long-term carers;