Forgotten fathers battle for kids

Mark Harris had a long hard battle to get the see his children

Fathers from Northamptonshire are highlighting the flawed justice system which they feel favours the mother, not the father.

Mark Harris from Northampton battled for access rights to his daughters following a break-up in his marriage.

He had to go to court 133 times over 10 years to no avail.

"My children are really angry at the system because even though they met with numerous judges, it seemed no-one was listening," he said.

Mark's custody battle reportedly cost the taxpayer almost £1m.

"It weren't till they [Mark's daughters] walked out on their mother to come and live with me that anything happened," he said.

This is by no means the only case of its kind.

John Smith, from Wellingborough, has two daughters and hasn't seen them since the break-up of his relationship with his girlfriend.

He believes she is bitter about the way it ended and stopped all access.

"She's not just hurting me, she's hurting the kids as well. It feels like a bereavement, even though I know they are still alive, because I miss them so much," said John.

In December 2008 new provisions have been put into The Children's Act to enable the court to create what's known as a Contact Activity Direction, to help parents understand the benefits of contact if one parent stops the other from having contact for no apparent reason.