Abuse case father complained of social work 'prejudice'

A Muslim man whose nine children have been taken into care after a High Court judge decided that the youngsters had been abused has complained of social workers being prejudiced against him.

Mr Justice Baker has concluded two boys had been been hit, punched and kicked by their father - and said beatings had been "plainly abusive".

The judge also decided a girl had been sexually abused by two of her brothers - and said the children's parents should have taken steps to prevent what had happened.

He concluded that the couple had used "physical abuse" in a bid to discipline their large family and has ruled that all nine should live away from home.

The man had spoken of "the racism in this country" - and he and his wife thought that there had been a "conspiracy" against them.

Detail has emerged in the latest in a number of rulings on the case by Mr Justice Baker following private family court hearings in London.

Local authority social services bosses had asked the judge to make decisions about where the youngsters' best interests lay.

No-one involved was identified.

The father had put forward a "complex conspiracy theory" to explain allegations made by his children, said the judge.

He had also said at one stage "you have to understand the racism in this country" and had added "a white jury will always a convict a black man".

"They acknowledged that they had used physical chastisement, but not that there had been significant harm caused to any of the children as a result," said Mr Justice Baker.

"There was further evidence that the parents, in particular the father, thought that there had been a 'conspiracy' and that the professionals had not acted appropriately.

"The parents reported physically chastising the children by 'a tap on the bottom', 'a clip on the ear' and 'a tap on the hand'."

The judge said: "He acknowledged that he and his wife had practised physical chastisement in a minor way but not the kicking and punching described by the local authority which this court had found. He ... asserted that the local authority is prejudiced against him."

However, Mr Justice Baker concluded the allegations had been proved and said: "The parents used physical abuse as a method of trying to maintain discipline over their large family which they struggled to control."