The Judgment has just been released of the first case in which the High Court has authorised the placement of a child in The Gambia. Mrs Justice Theis made the child the subject of a Special Guardianship Order at the conclusion of care proceedings with leave to permanently remove the child to The Gambia (a non-Hague convention country).
In Re TG (Placement in The Gambia) [2017] EWFC 85, Mrs Justice Theis determined that it was in the best interests of the child that she be separated from her parents, made her grandmother a special guardian (pursuant to the law of England and Wales) and gave leave for the child to be removed to The Gambia. Proceedings are to commence there to make the child a ward of the High Court of The Gambia while an application for Guardianship under Gambian law is considered.
Martin Downs was instructed by Orbis Law on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council. Clare Ciborowska was instructed by MW Solicitors for the 4th Respondent.
Martin Downs has appeared in a succession of cases in the last five years involving the placement of children by Local Authorities in nearly every country in the EEA, the USA, the Russian Federation, Brazil – and most recently the People’s Republic of China.
Clare Ciborowska was instructed by MW Solicitors on behalf of the child. Clare is a specialist family practitioner with a particular emphasis on cases with an international element. Clare has recently dealt with cases concerning nationals form the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Nigeria and Sudan.
Read more about the case here.
