Father jailed for breaching court orders in child abduction case

A father has been sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court after repeatedly failing to comply with orders to return his 11-year-old daughter from Iran to England.

Joanne Grey Senior Associate Solicitor in our family law team reports on this recent case.

Mrs Justice Lieven, sitting in the High Court’s Family Division, ruled that immediate custody was the only way to secure compliance after what she described as “deliberate and persistent breaches” of court directions.

The case concerned a girl, B, who was abducted in January 2024 while on holiday in Iran with her mother. The court heard that she was taken at gunpoint by her paternal uncle and has remained in Iran ever since. Her mother, AA, returned to the UK and has since brought a series of applications for wardship and the child’s return.

A succession of judges had ordered the father, XX, to take steps to secure B’s return, including renewing her passport, arranging flights, and facilitating video contact with her mother. Despite those orders, no progress was made.

Evidence before the court showed that the father told a previous judge that he could arrange for B’s return if he wished, but that he attached conditions including demands for money, jewellery, and apologies from the mother’s family.

The father also failed to comply with specific contact directions made in April and June 2025 requiring regular WhatsApp video calls between B and her mother. The judge said there had been “absolutely no contact” despite “strenuous efforts” by the mother.

Proceedings were complicated by the father’s conduct in court. He refused to remain in the courtroom unless his conditions were met, raised his voice, and required security to be present. He did not give evidence and filed no statement in response to the committal application, although he had been served with all documents in both English and Farsi.

Mrs Justice Lieven found nine separate breaches of orders proved beyond reasonable doubt. She said B had now been kept from her mother for 19 months, describing the situation as “an act of extreme cruelty”.

In passing sentence, she said prison was necessary both to express the court’s disapproval and to encourage compliance. “The only way to get the father to appreciate the seriousness of the matter, and to comply, is to make an immediate order of imprisonment,” she said.

The father was sentenced to six months, though the judge noted he would likely serve less in practice. He may apply to purge his contempt if he secures B’s return.

For more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of family law please contact Joanne on 01434 320362 or click here to send her an email.