Agree somewhat. It's considered kidnapping by coercion as he lied to the mother about returning the children which is also why he could and probably would be charged with kidnapping if he ever comes back to Australia. But what the 60 minutes crew did was wrong. What the parents did was wrong too but that's more a case of parents fighting a messed up system. I frigging hate custody battles. Every one my friends have gone through has always been the same. It's always the mother pushing for full custody and at best the husband gets the occasional weekend custody. I have only had one male friend who got custody. Originally the mother was given full custody and he was allowed visitation rights once per month, until one day his daughter had to call an ambulance because the mother OD'd with a needle in her arm. She was a known drug addict before the hearing and my friend is a well respected member of the community, but she still got custody and she literally had to OD to lose custody.
Last year, a father I know ended up in court trying to plead his innocence because the mother ran out of options whilst trying to gain full custody, she claimed he sexually abused his own daughter.
Now, if it were true, it would have come to light much sooner in the custody battle, not when she realised she was losing.
This of course is bloody infuriating because in Aus, the second a man is accused of a sexual act without a single trace of fact or evidence, he's automatically guilty till he proves himself innocent by some miracle chance. Because lets be honest, how do you prove something didn't happen when your assumed guilty without evidence? It's damn near impossible.
Anywho, the second she accused him, the court ordered 1 visit a month that was supervised at all times. Outside the courtroom, he told the police she was unlicensed and his daughter wasn't even in a child seat as she jumped into her car, cops couldn't give less a fuck, they let her go and started harassing him.
18months later, he finally proved his innocence, god knows how, only after his daughter ended up in hospital and realised the mother was a junkie who neglected her the entire time. Even though that's what he was telling the court the entire time! She only wanted custody for the fucking centrelink payments.
These stories occur every single day, and not a damn thing will be changed till enough children are harmed or killed because the law sides with the mother, no matter what the case.
