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Call for help for people in family court cases after suicides

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Judge Boshier said relationship breakups were linked to mental health issues and suicide

Judge Boshier said relationship breakups were linked to mental health issues and suicide

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:37a.m.
The suspected suicides of 18 people involved in Family Court cases has prompted a top judge to call for more mental health support for people involved with the court.
 
Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier, in a speech being to be delivered in Blenheim this morning, said there were 18 suspected suicides by people involved in the court in the 13 months to June.

He proposed setting up a new specialist agency to refer victims and offenders in domestic violence cases to counselling and to chase up offenders who drop out of programmes, The New Zealand Herald reported.

"A radical rethink is required in the delivery of both prevention and intervention in domestic violence," he said.

Judge Boshier said relationship breakups were linked to mental health issues and suicide, and courts should offer more support to stop children losing a parent through suicide.

"I feel for people that use our courts who eventually cannot cope and take their own lives. I am not only sad for them personally, but for the children they leave behind."

Judge Boshier identified 22 people involved in Family Court cases who died between May 2008 and June this year as a result of either suicide or homicide.

"Of these 18 (82 percent) were suspected suicides, and 41 percent of the deceased had been, either directly or indirectly, involved in domestic violence proceedings," he said.

Three-quarters were also involved in court battles over care of children.

He said New Zealand should learn from an Australian system where court staff were trained to identify possible mental health issues during separation and refer people to counselling services.
 
"I feel for people that use our courts who eventually cannot cope and take their own lives. I am not only sad for them personally, but for the children they leave behind.

"I accordingly advocate a court which has a much better support facility than is evident at present."

Judge Boshier said relationship breakups were linked to mental health issues and suicide, and courts should offer more support to stop children losing a parent through suicide.

He repeateds criticisms he made in February of programmes for domestic violence offenders. He said then that one-off acts in situations such as a marriage breakup should not be treated the same as "continuous or systematic" violence.

Only half of all offenders completed programmes, and he called for a new specialist agency to refer and monitor offenders and victims on counselling programmes.

NZPA
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Comments [22]

Pam
04 Feb 2011 7:14p.m.

My ex daughter in law tried to commit suicide SEVEN TIMES and my oldest grandaughter at the age between 7-8 witness each one and had to call the ambulance. My son has day to day care but not full custody, no help in getting full custody of his child. No an easy process. Her parents have signed off saying that my son is a better father and that the mothers partner, in the drugs and alcolhol is not.
Where is the compansion in law to help the right partner to look after their children. Too expensive.;

onewomanDV
28 Dec 2009 6:55p.m.

Please note that the 18 deaths were not only men. Also not that all mothers are not manipulating the system. Fathers and/or mothers that have less access to little children because of domestic violence is right to protect children. There are good parents (fathers and mothers) in the mix that do not deserve to be punished. I am a mother who departed a domestic violence relationship. I still encouraged him to see his child and I never missed an opportunity to take my son to his father who is still angry that I exited the situation. By his own admission he nearly killed me. If he had, our child would be left with no parents. Family Court was a necessary process to go through to create peace. He can see his child anytime he wants to, but he cannot deny domestic violence has occurred anymore. There are innocent fathers/mothers and there are guilty fathers/mothers. Family Court do what they can to sort through the masses of dysfunctional families to maintain peace. Being biased and emotional does not bring change. Truth spoken is truth heard. Parents who love their children stay the length of the journey and retain what they can of their sanity. Pointing a finger at the system reflects blind opposition. The system was put there by the people through a process that can be changed through working with the same process. Pointing a finger at mothers in general WRONG! There are plenty of good mothers dedicated to their children beyond words, the same goes for fathers. Do not turn against one group or the other simply because things did or did not go your way in Family Court. Overwhelming evidence comes in numbers and numbers never lie. Just read the statistics.

Chris
21 Dec 2009 9:33p.m.

What none of you get is that it is not just men who are victimised and lied against, and have affidavits ignored and childrens counsel manipulated, there are good women who are good mothers. Until EVERYONE recognises this both unscrupulous and manipulative and emotionally and psychologically abusive men AND women will use this polarisation to their advantage GET real< stop the prejudice and join resources because the children are the ones who suffer now and in later life

Jan..
22 Nov 2009 9:52p.m.

To find time is another subject Paul, everyones comments will surely help to bring our country into a safe enviroment where we once were..
What is happening to our beautiful green healthy country, who is to blame and who made these mistakes, we are under an attack and from whom attacking our innocense and our healthy atmosphere,I can only assumed that the terrorist is amoung us and to look back at our history and there is no way we let it repeats itself..
They were insane by senting our deads from the war and the way they package our deads and sent it home with blackamiling notes, we haven't fogotton..Look at the germans with the jews etc..
If our country law and Judges are not preparing to look at the problems of our country and they are letting our people and our country down so thereforth we need to hire some one who can lookafter the safety of our people and our country's interest..

leah
21 Nov 2009 9:46a.m.

I 100% agree with John and Paul. Most of these posts mutually demonstrate despondent positions and 'inside’ knowledge/experience with the Family Court. Suicide is just the end of the journey, what about the insanity of the journey!?
How is one to feel when they know but can't prove the Judge hasn't read their affidavit, that the council for child is not representing that child’s voice or best interest?
Really, how is one to feel when incorrect, exaggerated and out of context information is being circulated around the authorities -(CYF, psychologists, court appointed/legal aid lawyers, dysfunctional and fragmented families and greedy care givers/access supervisors-who are like literally starving vultures who say or do anything to keep themselves employed) about them? An industry, what an understatement! This fear driven illuminati thrive on innocent children and their uneducated (to their rights) families who don't think to question the system with its hidden curriculums and illegal abductions.
I was told by a high up CYF exec that the Council for child (CFC) would follow CYF lead and once CYF did a turn around, the CFC would also.
I will tell you how one would feel because i have felt it: One would feel exhausted from constantly being confused, frustrated, angry, empty, lonely, misrepresented, despaired, and conquered....to name a few emotions. The one common theme is: Only death could remove this pain. Some people take that route because they can’t think of any other option. I am not one of those people....i had to live and feel it in order to fight and change it...to prevent it from happening to other parents and their children.
It’s the family’s means of survival, but through their adaptation and exhausted acceptance of the marriage between CYF and a very large portion of the judiciary system, the systematic abuse and revenue collection that prevails is facilitated.
HOW TO BEAT CYF: Know your rights, the law, their obligation to you- AND BULLY THEM BACK!

Wayne
21 Nov 2009 8:41a.m.

Ditto Big Al My children have memories of their sick mother trying to kill them multiple times and do you think the Femily Caught or CYFS would help them or me when it was required? NO!! They assisted her frauds, her perjuries, her assaults against my children, her alienation of them against their Father, her providing of drugs to my minor daughter, her fraudulent request for a Protection Order, her MULTIPLE CHILD ABUSES. Almost THREE YEARS and $10.5k before they FINALLY woke up when she got caught threatening DEATH in the presence of my children again! Their own Caught Expert advised that the ex-wife be psychiatrically examined and displayed delusional behaviour. I WON custody but not before I had been stripped of my wealth over almost three years and my children had been seriously damaged by those filthy crooks who pretend to care for children while they line their greedy pockets. The real Axis of Evil is our misandric domestic violence industry that feeds off the misery of fathers and children while supporting the parent wearing the State-approved genitalia. Truth matters not to them! Children matter not to them! Evidence matters not to them! Feminist Ideology reigns supreme! The Femily Caught is a child-abuser of monumental proportions and should be avoided at all costs by every loving parent. DON'T use a service that harms children or any of their parents. It is NOT worth it! Boshier's latest manipulation will provide further justification to continue the status quo, nothing more! Hitler would have been envious of what feminist extremists have achieved in New Zealand and with the full support of the State Tax Collectors & Co. I get it Boshier! Men are Bad. Women are Good. Our children are your expendable fodder! Shame on YOU and HITLER!

Big Al
20 Nov 2009 11:54p.m.

I could tell my story here, but 2000 charactors isn't enough.
I just can't understand why the family court and it's lawyers prefer to allow a child to remain in the care of a mother who actually has a mental illness... it's insane!

However, due to other circumstances related to the mother's mental illness, my daughter is now in my care, no thanks to the family court. Definitely a victory to a little girl who deservered a lot better. The system failed her... but dad didn't.

I really feel sad for all those innocent children who fall victim to a selfish parent, and the biased family court system that supports their selfish games.

Change is long overdue... So whose got the balls to stand up for these child victims?...Anybody?

JimBWarrior
20 Nov 2009 10:08p.m.

What hypocrisy from Boshier - Senior FAMILY Court Judge responsible for the system that CAUSES Suicides, possibly DAILY. – Onward to exposing these FAMILY Destructive Bureaucrats within the FC, CS, WINZ, CYFS and other MSD Funded Govt Edifices and Hirelings.

zocor
20 Nov 2009 1:52p.m.

And we wonder why Islamic men would sooner blow themselves up than be a party to the Wests Feminised Democracy. Had men realised what hipocracy the Women's Movement really represented, maybe a more radical opposition may have been mounted, but personally in relation to family, i identify more with a muslims values than i do our so called Democracy."A great civilisation is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within"

Rosie
20 Nov 2009 9:14a.m.

Such a lot of venom in these comments. Not all women are evil, not all men are abusers. All children are innocent. They need to be at the centre of this issue and their well-being the absolute focus. The New Zealand justice system has a long way to go to achieve that but the family unit is the starting point. Stop being so bloody horrible to one another. Behave like responsible adults, please.

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