T v S

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THE APPLICANT (father) appeared in Person. MISS H. MUSTAFA (instructed by Fitzhugh Gates) appeared on behalf of the Respondent (mother). ____________________

The reality is that the father seeks not merely a fundamental change to the arrangements set out by Mr. Justice Hedley but, moreover, implicitly on the basis that before deciding the way forward the court should investigate the allegations which he currently makes against the mother, which history would strongly suggest will be met, if not in equal measure, at least in measure, by counter-allegations from her.

Those particular words may have been uttered by reference to that particular problem, but they have a much wider and much deeper resonance.

He raises the question as to what is meant by the phrase "the father" and, by implication, what is meant by the phrase "the mother", whether that means the father and no-one else and, correspondingly, the mother and non-one else, or whether it means the father or his agent and, correspondingly, the mother and her agent.