Magistrate (Christine Cox)

The Magistrate sat in a hearing in January 2019 for the custody of twin siblings Charlie and Lexi Franklin. There were two applicants to the case - the children's present foster parents, the Bolters, who wanted to formally adopt, and the children's elder brother Seb Franklin who although he was only seventeen, was desperate not to lose his family.

Seb needed to provide a roof over their heads, and to be able to prove to the court that he could financially support them all. Also opposing him was his own mother, Abi Franklin, who although she was the cause of all the problems with her previous history of drug addiction and spells in prison, she felt that Seb just wouldn't be able to provide the surety that the court could demand and the children were better off with their foster parents.

Seb felt the pressure of this opposition, especially when Eileen Grimshaw let him down by refusing to act in the role of his supporter. In the court, the Magistrate listened carefully he made an impassioned statement in support of his application for special guardianship as he wanted to do anything to keep the family together but lied about his home circumstances and having full time employment.

The Magistrate got Abi herself in the witness box and she was truthful about her own failings as a mother and her present reduced circumstances which meant that she couldn’t provide for the children. As for her opinion as to whether Seb could be granted special guardianship, Abi was equally truthful, saying that although she loved him, he couldn’t raise the two children himself, that he was lacking support from Eileen, that her house wasn’t big enough to give the two children separate bedrooms and that she had witnessed Gary losing his job at Gary Windass Construction that morning.

The Magistrate summed up by saying this was a difficult and emotional matter but she agreed with Abi that the two foster parents should adopt the children. Seb was livid while Abi sobbed over her trainwreck of a life.