My Daughter (Who is English) has a 4 month old baby with a Spanish man. They have lived together recently but on Friday he became violent towards here having taken drugs and drink. He also stole a car on the same day and was driving around trying to find a gun to buy to kill my daughter (Bullets were found in the car)
The police were called and on Monday we went to court to find that the promised solicitor and interpeter did not turn up and no paperwork either. We were all left in the domestic violence court with no information and forced to sit opposite the guys parents. We were treated like dirt and all the officials made it quite plain that as foreigners our rights were at best limited.
My daughter had to go and see a judge with the guys solicitor and was questioned in Spanish despite protesting that she did not understand everything we were not allowed to be with her. Then we were told to come back today for a hearing about the violence.
Last night we went to a solicitor locally and went through the details with him. We found out by accident that the guy had been released from jail without our knowledge and having keys to our daughters apartment. We also found out that he has a murder conviction and other offences that our drug related. We asked the solicitor about custody of the baby knowing the above information for the first time. He assured us that the only thing happening in court today was about the violent incident.
I am sure you know whats coming next....The guy go 16 months probation and told to stay away from my daughter but the judge decided he and his parents sould get unsupervised access to the baby evey week for a full day! We are not allowed to be there or near the house.
Aparrently in 30 days there is a custody hearing which the solicitor says will give him further rights to custody. Apart from being a convicted murderer he only has to pay child support if he gets a job but with his record he cannot get work! My daughter has lost her job as the violent incident happened in her place of work and the boss does not want any more problems!
So it seems you are rewarded for violence towards women as well as not having to pay for a child but having full rights to access. He also does not have to pay for the apartment locks to be changed because his name is not on the lease.
We feel the solicitor stitched us up and charging 300 euros to attend for the privilige! The guardia also have kept my daughters passport andtold her she is not allowed to leave the area or go on holiday without the boyfriends permission.
We need help to get this sorted out. How can a convicted murderer have any rights to access to a 4 month old baby. He has already threatened to take the baby out of the country if my daughter causes him any problems and that if she takes the baby away he will find her and the rest of the family and kill us all.This was all in the testomony and the court knew of his previous convictions. When we asked would he go to prison for stealing the car as he is apparently on probabtion for another motor related offence the solicitor laughed at us and said no and that it was nothing to do with us anyway.
So what can we do. The bay does not have a passport so we are all stuck here having to kow tow to a convicted murderer and his family with the full support of the court. All we have done is work here legally and come for a better life but it seems in Spain you have no rights unless you are Spanish.
The solicitor says thats how it is and to get on with it.....unless anyone knows of another way.