swarb.co.uk

OK, so the headline is shocking, but I want serious thought to this topic.

When a parent or legal guardian sets out to severely blacken the character of the other party ie other parent, when does this become an offence? What resolution can the estranged party demand?

We hear of so many cases where one parent actively segregates the child from its other parent, but in many cases the one 'in posession' is deemed to have rights and the other just about none at all.

The child will usually cling to the only stability they have, ie existing parent, even though this person may be using mentally abusive tactics to keep said child under their wing.

Comments please.

The normal rules of defamation apply outside court proceedings.

Forget 'parental rights' in this context. A court will look first and last to the child's best interests. If the behaviour is as extreme as you suggest, a court will usually see through it.

It is notoriously a problem, that parents slag off the other parent to influence their child. It is not only "residential parents" who do it, parents with "contact" do it too.

There is no "offence" in the sense of a "criminal offence" or even a "civil" one. I am not sure if that is what you mean?

I am not sure where to start without writing an essay. maybe you or someone else could expand on the thinking behind the question or give an example of the sort of thing you have in mind.