Unmarried fathers win greater access rights

UNMARRIED fathers will have greater rights of access to hearings involving their children following a landmark ruling in the UK's highest court.

An unnamed Glasgow man took the Principal Reporter to the Supreme Court after he was blocked from taking part in a Children's Hearing involving his daughter. The man had been accused of sexually abusing the eight-year-old by her mother, but the police had found insufficient evidence.

Previously, unmarried fathers who were no longer living with the child were not seen as a "relevant person" in the eyes of Scots Law. The Supreme Court ruling not only changes that, but it also recommended altering the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, to enshrine the right in legislation.

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John Fotheringham, a family law specialist at Fyfe Ireland solicitors, said: "This is a further step forward in the development of child law. The exclusion of fathers is something that has happened frequently over the years, now it will not happen."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "(We] will further consider the judgment and assess the implications for the hearings system and the Children's Reporter service."