19 November 2004

Minister handcuffed by fathers' rights campaigner

A campaigner for Fathers 4 Justice handcuffed himself to government minister Margaret Hodge today when she was attending a conference on family law in a Manchester hotel.

The children's minister found herself handcuffed to the man for 40 minutes when, according the campaign group, he performed a "citizen's arrest".

Police who were called to the scene shortly after 10am, eventually freed the minister using bolt cutters and it was confirmed that following the incident one man was arrested.

It was reported that at least two men from the campaign group were involved in the incident - Jolly Stanesby, who handcuffed himself to the children's minister; and Jason Hatch, who earlier this year dressed in a Batman costume climbed onto the façade of Buckingham Palace in another high-profile stunt.

The minister, who was apparently unharmed in today's stunt, said that she was determined to go ahead with her speech to the conference on family law this afternoon.

A spokesperson for Fathers 4 Justice, who described Margaret Hodge as the bogeywoman of Family Law, said that a renewed campaign in the run up to Christmas involved "cuff a turkey".

Law Society Chief Executive Janet Paraskeva said she was "appalled" by the antics of Fathers 4 Justice.

The pressure group are seeking changes in the law to allow fathers, parents, and grandparents an automatic right to see their children. No such rights currently exist under British law and the group are seeking to highlight that the only recourse for parents and grandparents is to seek access via a court order.

(SP/GMCG)