Girl, 8, fighting cancer is dragged into court by her FATHER as he tries to force her to take his surname - as judge hears he abused her mother while she was having chemotherapy
A young girl battling cancer has been forced into a court battle by her father who is trying to get her surname changed.
The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been fighting to have his daughter's surname hyphenated to include his last name since 2018.
The Family Court of Australia in Sydney heard how he once confronted the girl, 8, and her mother in hospital while she was having chemotherapy treatment.
The Family Court of Australia in Sydney heard how he once confronted the girl, 8, and her mother in hospital while she was undergoing chemotherapy
The man, who was on crutches at the time, stuck a crutch in front of the girl’s wheelchair to stop her from passing, causing her to tip slightly, The Daily Telegraph reported.
'During this incident the father told the child that the mother may go to jail and that the mother is a nut job,' the court heard.
In another incident, the father sat next to the mother and child while in hospital and screamed the mother 'belonged in a mental home' before security was called.
The court heard the child did not have a close relationship with her father.
A parental hearing in 2018 ruled the father could not see his daughter until 2022.
The court was told how child has not had a close relationship with her father (stock image pictured)
The father has been fighting to change her surname to be hyphenated since discovering her birth certificate did not have his name on it. The birth certificate has since been amended.
He argued for the name change on the belief that it 'is important that the child knows she has a father and having a hyphenated surname will remind her of that'.
The court was told how 'any benefits the child may have from having a relationship with both parents must be weighed against the risk to her of engaging with her father who she evidently does not trust'.
The father’s application to have his daughter’s name changed has been rejected.