Nicola's Story

23 June 2023 the day they ordered my 6 year old son, Harry, to be taken out of his classroom at St Joseph's BNS, Terenure and brought to the Irish Family Courts in Smithfield, so they could hear the voice of the child and he could tell Judge Sinéad Ní Chulachain what his wishes were.

If that's not a heartbreaking scene to visualise for a young boy to have to endure. The following will appall and take your breath away....

Harry was taken to a room and spoke to court appointed Ruth More-O'Ferrall (GAL, Guardian Ad Litem) whom he had never met before, and she had refused to meet Harry despite my pleadings for her to hear his voice and not just his father's.

Harry expressed his wishes to stay with his Mum in Ireland. As every 6 yo would given the bond between us was sheer adoration. Having raised him as a single mother for the entire 6 years of his young life, with the support and care of my loving parents, Harry's doting grandparents and my extended close knit family.

Harry's father resided in Manchester. We split up 3 months after Harry was born. We travelled between Dublin and Manchester for access. But he refused to come to Dublin since he met a new partner and they had 2 children in quick succession. So the burden to travel for access was placed on Harry and I to make the trips to the UK where he could have access with his father. Court appointed assessor, Jim SHEEHAN, was made aware of the distresses Harry was experiencing when we would have to travel, on a monthly basis, to Manchester and he had to leave his Mum for up to a week at times. Bare in mind, Harry was only 4 years old at this stage and very attached to me, his Mum and full time parent.

I expressed all my concerns to Jim SHEEHAN but they were ignored, instead he suggested longer access periods in Manchester ONLY and NO access to take place in Dublin, due to Harry's father having a new partner and family to consider.

Ruth More O'Ferrall, who had a clear disdain for me due to me disengaging from her biased interactions from the start, spoke to Harry for less than 30 mins in a room within the Phoenix Building of the Irish Family Courts, Smithfield.

Following her chat with Harry, she took the stand in the Courtroom.

She told Judge Sinéad Ní Chulachain that 'Harry clearly wishes to stay here in Ireland with his Mum, because he would miss her too much, and he doesn't want to go to Manchester to live there'.

These were my sons words to this stranger.

However, Ruth More - O'Ferrall, with a total disregard of Harry's pleas, told the Judge, despite the best interest of the child and his wishes ' However, Judge, if you are considering transferring custody of the child to his father in Manchester, I suggest you do it now while the child is in-situ (here in Court)'.

Judge Sinéad Ní Chulachain ignoring all the other information, including a report of domestic abuse and coercive control by Harry's father against me, all the attempts we made to facilitate access, the 9 months Play Therapy we attended on a weekly basis in order to deal with Harry's anxiety and upset caused to the child when having to be parted from Mum during access in the UK only, despite his immersion in the community, friends, school, extra curricular activities, Judge Sinéad Ní Chulachain proceeded to make a Court Order that custody be transferred to Harry's father and that my son be taken, right there and then, from his hometown of Dublin straight to Manchester, in his school uniform, clutching a football my parents had bought him for his 6th birthday the day before.

My son and I were surrounded by Gardaí at the Family Court while Ruth More - O'Ferrall ordered me to step away from my screaming 6yo son while she took him from me and brought him to his father who was waiting in the wings with Jim Sheehan (exposed in all the media for his accusations of Parental Alienaton and removing children from their mothers).

JIM Sheehan was paid in excess of €30k by Harry's father to produce reports in which Jim Sheehan manipulated the truth and ultimately gained full custody for Harry's father.

My son was taken out of the Courts by Harry's father flanked by Ruth More-O'Ferrall (GAL) and Jim Sheehan, Assessor, whom he paid hefty sums to both of them in order to secure custody of our son whom he had not seen or visited in 8 months at that point.

They took Harry straight to Dublin airport and flew to Manchester.

The traumatic scenes of sheer terror, confusion, dismay and grief will be etched in my soul forever. My son, screaming and reaching out for me as his father carried him over his shoulder as he scurried over the tram lines in Smithfield, arm in arm with Ruth More - O'Ferrall and Jim Sheehan. Into a taxi and straight to Dublin Airport.

A Garda had a carry me back into the Courts foyer to calm me down. Even they found it difficult to believe what they'd just witnessed.

My father was inconsolable, clutching his heart he fell to his knees whilst trying to hold me up.

Apparently, these are common scenes in the Irish Family Courts. Shockingly.

I didn't see my son until 6 weeks later in a Supervised Access centre in Manchester.

4 hours supervised access was proposed by Jim SHEEHAN and this was Court Ordered by Judge Sinéad Ní Chulachain. Location was a run down building in Whitefield, Manchester called Help Handz.

My dear son, only 6 yo and I subjected to supervised access for 4 hours on a fortnightly basis in a room with bars on the windows. We endured this for 12 months.

The cries and pleadings of my poor baby when I had to leave him there every fortnight. The pain will never subside.

We appealed the Court Order immediately and were dragged through the gruelling process of the High Court only for Judge John Jordan (Parental Aliennator Judge) to step aside and Judge Barry O'Donnell upholding the decision of Circuit Court Judge Sinéad Ní Chulachain

All of the above occurred in the corrupt Irish Family Courts, where the Judges, Legal reps, 'Experts', TUSLA, Social Workers all of whom are protected and hidden by the secret 'In - Camera' Rule.

NOT anymore.

My son remains in Manchester where he has had to endure the ongoing trauma of being separated from his Mum, family, friends, school, GAA team mates at Templeogue Synge Street, Rugby Team mates at Terenure Sports Club, his music friends at Mezzo Music...

My son had such a wonderful life in Dublin immersed in all things sports, musical and fun.

He was ripped away from me on the basis of 'Parental Alienation' cited by JIM Sheehan and the advice of Ruth More-O'Ferrall (GAL).

The Irish Family Courts is not fit for purpose when it allows a young Irish boy to be removed from his mother based on the findings of these two charlatans who line their pockets by destroying children's lives.

Dr Charlotte Proudman is the Women's Hero in cases like mine. Particularly where domestic abuse is ignored and counteracted by Parental Alienation. Jim Sheehan is renowned for using this process and the Irish Family Courts are more than aware of this. However, having a brother who is a Judge (Garret Sheehan) within the Courts has kept him safe!

I will be reaching out to Dr. Charlotte Proudman for her advice and hopefully she can help undo and expose the disgusting and wholly unethical injustice of the Irish Family Courts and it's cohorts like Jim Sheehan and Ruth More- O'Ferrall.

Thanks to the support of SiSi Survivors and Alliance of Birth Mothers Campaigning for Justice and Debbie McCann, Journalist, Irish Daily Mail, Bernard Durkan T. D. for spreading the news, by highlighting and exposing the perpetrators.

Today, Dr. Charlotte Proudman won her case against The BSB for speaking out against the misogyny and sex discrimination within the legal system.

Today, I'm speaking out about what happened to my son and I within the Irish Family Courts system.

Warned not to speak to anyone or tell anyone your story because of the 'infamous in camera'.

I will not be silenced by the perpetrators.