- A place no one wants to be
- By Paula Beauchamp
- The Herald Sun
- 21/11/2003 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: admin ( 75 articles in 2003 )
THEY call her a guarded girl.
You can't see the 11-year-old they are referring to, but you can feel her pain. Jan, a psychologist, tells the court that the girl, "Karen", struggles to speak freely.
The walls echo with stories of a sexual assault suffered at the hands of a family friend and of her mum's early exit.
And of the ugly language you hear passing between Karen and her dad.
Dad tells Karen she's dumb, and when she hits back, she tells him she takes after him.
And then there's dad's sick rejoinder "I don't have tits and a fanny".
His words hit hard. It's dad's language. He admits as much in the witness box.
Metres away sits mum, a one-time drug addict who has found God. They could be strangers.
You think of the 11-year-old and you wish for her some other choice.
6H: A new court, a new problem.
A father is asking for $150,000 in damages and child support -- money he paid for a child who does not share his DNA.
Dad, representing himself, is quizzing his ex-wife -- all awkward and well made-up in the witness box.
"I put it to you . . . you bought a BMW last year."
The man, Dave, asks after a maltese terrier and the cable connection at home.
There is talk of a driveway resurfaced.
At the back of the courtroom, knee-deep in other people's heartache, you see a spat that wouldn't normally leave home.
Time in the Family Court or the Federal Magistrates' Service is like a funeral.
There's no laughter.
You barely smile.
Former friends and family stare through one another in the corridors: failed recognition.
In the bowels of the complex, 25 more mums and dads prepare for their day in court.
The Self-represented Litigant's workshop helps cash-strapped ex-partners navigate the minefield of subpoenas and affidavits.
Shoulders hunch. Lines are etched in faces.
Shy, baby-faced or balding, it's a world none expected -- or wanted -- to greet.
It's a launching pad to a place no one wants to be.
You can't see the 11-year-old they are referring to, but you can feel her pain. Jan, a psychologist, tells the court that the girl, "Karen", struggles to speak freely.
The walls echo with stories of a sexual assault suffered at the hands of a family friend and of her mum's early exit.
And of the ugly language you hear passing between Karen and her dad.
Dad tells Karen she's dumb, and when she hits back, she tells him she takes after him.
And then there's dad's sick rejoinder "I don't have tits and a fanny".
His words hit hard. It's dad's language. He admits as much in the witness box.
Metres away sits mum, a one-time drug addict who has found God. They could be strangers.
You think of the 11-year-old and you wish for her some other choice.
6H: A new court, a new problem.
A father is asking for $150,000 in damages and child support -- money he paid for a child who does not share his DNA.
Dad, representing himself, is quizzing his ex-wife -- all awkward and well made-up in the witness box.
"I put it to you . . . you bought a BMW last year."
The man, Dave, asks after a maltese terrier and the cable connection at home.
There is talk of a driveway resurfaced.
At the back of the courtroom, knee-deep in other people's heartache, you see a spat that wouldn't normally leave home.
Time in the Family Court or the Federal Magistrates' Service is like a funeral.
There's no laughter.
You barely smile.
Former friends and family stare through one another in the corridors: failed recognition.
In the bowels of the complex, 25 more mums and dads prepare for their day in court.
The Self-represented Litigant's workshop helps cash-strapped ex-partners navigate the minefield of subpoenas and affidavits.
Shoulders hunch. Lines are etched in faces.
Shy, baby-faced or balding, it's a world none expected -- or wanted -- to greet.
It's a launching pad to a place no one wants to be.
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