LOVE-TUG MUM LOSES CUSTODY APPEAL

Beth’s distress as she gets the news from a third party

EXCLUSIVE BY PAUL HARRIS

MP will raise it in Commons

GRAHAM STRINGER, MPf or Manchester Blackley, will be raising Beth Alexander’s case during an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Her parents, Anthony and Sylvia, of Crumpsall, Manchester, live in Mr Stringer’s constituency.

BETH Alexander, the Manchester mother at the centre of a tug-of-love case in Vienna, has lost her appeal for custody of her four-year-old twins.

Beth, 29, learned the news from a rabbi that the Supreme Court had decided against her — days after her husband, Michael, had been notified.

Beth, who lost custody of Sammy and Benji three years ago, has been fighting a frustrating battle to persuade the courts to reverse their decision to award custody to Dr Schlesinger, which was based originally on a flawed psychiatric report on her.

She discovered on Wednesday that the court’s decision had been sent out on December 24, but her lawyer had not read it because she was on holiday. The court document gives no reason and states merely, “denied”.

Beth described herself as “very distressed” when she heard the verdict, but is determined to fight what she and others view as a grave injustice which has seen the Austrian courts refusing to allow her to present her side of the case.

Beth’s case is now being handled by Martin Preslmayer, who told the Jewish Telegraph yesterday that it was extraordinary a decision had been reached so speedily when appeals normally take three to four months.

He said: “The case is finally closed but Beth has the right to open a new custody case and the strategy [this time] will be different.

“Hopefully, this time she will be treated better.

“It is quite unusual that some judges not even working on that case intervened with the relevant judge in the first instance. That is information I have gained from the client but not been able to check.

“What also seems strange is that so many lawyers suddenly withdrew their power of attorney from the case without reason. [For further reading on this subject click here]

“It is unusual that some decisions took such a long time and some others, especially those not in favour of Beth, were actually issued within a couple of days.”

Dr Preslmayer added that he would be seeking a new psychologist’s report on the children.

The others seen by the court he described as “very, very questionable”.

He said that he planned to “get a new case in better order, without any very suspicious influences whatsoever”.

Beth said last night: “This is a hollow victory. There are no winners, only losers, in this battle. The biggest losers are the children.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jewish Telegraph Pages 10th Jan 2014