The campaign goes
on...grandfather Paul Garvey says Cornwall's social services department is being
vindictive.
A Falmouth grandfather who successfully fought a long-running battle to stop his
daughter's two children being put up for adoption claimed yesterday that
Cornwall's social services department was being vindictive towards him.
Paul Garvey, of Boslowick Road, can be identified publicly for the first time
today after a High Court case came to end and a legal gagging order against him
expired. Even though the court ordered that his daughter, Melanie, can keep her
children, Mr Garvey said his battle would continue because he had been barred
from seeing them.
Mr Garvey's campaign - which included a protest outside County Hall in Truro -
was exclusively revealed in the Packet earlier this year. At the time, for legal
reasons, the Packet was unable to name him although he chose to risk legal
action by identifying himself, placing large notices outside two houses he owns
in the town.
Mr Garvey, who was looking after his grandchildren, Leon and Jessica, while his
daughter recovered from health problems, complained that social workers had "out
of the blue" taken them into care and were planning to put them up for adoption.
The council, although refusing to comment on specific cases, has strongly denied
Mr Garvey's claims. The council has recently written to the Press Complaints
Commission about the Packet's original report, claiming it was "inaccurate,
misleading or distorted." The Packet has filed a defence to the complaint which
is now under investigation.
At Truro High Court last week Mr Justice Bennett told Melanie Garvey that she
could keep Leon and Jessica under an approved care plan.
advertisement But Mr Garvey, whose fight saw him hauled before the courts on more
than one occasion with the threat of contempt proceedings, is still not able to
see his daughter or his grandchildren because the county council took out an
injunction against him.
"Cornwall county council have kept Melanie and our two grandchildren prisoners
on the edge of Dartmoor for the past six months," Mr Garvey said yesterday.
"They have taken out injunctions against Melanie's family to keep us away from
her and the children.
"We have a recent letter from Cornwall county council saying because of our
campaign we cannot see Melanie and the children now or in the future.
"Cornwall county council took us to court and we were given the choice - stop
your campaign, don't talk to the press, take your signs down or we will lock you
up for up to two years.
"Cornwall county council have put Melanie, her children and our family through
hell and still are. This nightmare has been going on for two years and cost the
ratepayers millions of pounds. Instead of dragging innocent families through the
secret family courts, this money could be spent on local services, the fire
brigade or schools.
"We would like to see a public inquiry set up to look into this misuse of public
funds."
Mr Garvey and his wife, who have children of their own, looked after their
grandchildren for nine months while his daughter was recovering from an illness.
They were removed from their care by social services at the end of last year.
Mr Garvey says he is over the moon about his daughter getting her children back
but the ban on him seeing them was "vindictive" and aimed at getting back at him
following his campaign.
"We are happy Melanie's got the children back but there is a condition to that
that I as the grandfather cannot see the grandchildren or Melanie. If she does
let me visit, then the children will be taken off her as some kind of punishment
for the campaign I was running to get the children back.
"They are being vindictive in what they are doing in keeping us apart. This is
the kind of thing social services are doing all over the country.
"The campaign will start again if the injunction is still in place. This is not
justice, they are driving our family apart. Those grandchildren should be here
with us.
"We have two young children. If we are such bad parents, if we are a risk to our
grandchildren, why don't they take our two kids away? We have still got our two
kids. We have never been involved with social services before."
This week the council issued a statement saying the case concerning Melanie
Garvey and her two children has now concluded, having been heard in the High
Court in Truro by Mr Justice Bennett.
The statement said: "Miss Garvey and the children are to remain living together
in the community in their own accommodation. The mother will and can care for
them and she will have the help and support of Cornwall county council. The
children are not to be adopted. The mother, local authority and children's
guardian all agree this outcome and the judge, having heard evidence and read
the papers, approved the care plan.
"This statement had been issued by the court with the agreement of the local
authority, Melanie Garvey and the children's guardian."
The council issued a further statement after being told by the Packet what Mr
Garvey had said about the outcome of the case.
The statement said: "Mr Justice Bennett has considered all the evidence
presented in this case, including Mr Garvey's viewpoint, and has handed down his
case summary which accurately reflects the circumstances in this case. The
county council does not wish to add anything further except to state that there
is absolutely no truth in Mr Garvey's statement and printing it will not assist
this family to move on and put the children first."
