A politician who was raped ‘multiple’ times by an ex-partner has taken an appeal relating to his contact with their child to the High Court in London.
The woman is now waiting to see if the High Court judge will rule in her favour in the latest round of the ongoing family court dispute.
A judge overseeing the dispute concluded several months ago that the woman was raped by the man when they were living together.
The judge concluded the man began to rape her when she was asleep, and subjected her to domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour.
Findings had been made on the balance of probabilities and the man disputed allegations made against him.
Details of the case emerged on Wednesday, when the woman appealed against another decision, relating to the child, made by a family court judge.
Mrs Justice Arbuthnot, a High Court judge, oversaw the public appeal hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.
She made a number of rulings to protect the identity of the woman.
Mrs Justice Arbuthnot said the woman could not be identified in media reports, but said she could be referred to as a ‘politician.’
She said the man could be referred to as the woman’s ‘ex-partner.’
The woman lives with the child and has challenged decisions made by a family court judge relating to what contact the man should have with the child.
Mrs Justice Arbuthnot heard that an order had been made allowing the man to have contact with the child in a ‘supervised contact centre.’
She was also told that the family court judge had ruled that the woman should share the costs of the contact arrangements with her ex-partner.
The politician is challenging the ruling and is now waiting to see if Mrs Justice Arbuthnot will allow her appeal and ‘set aside’ the order for contact and that the costs should be shared.
Barrister Charlotte Proudman told Mrs Justice Arbuthnot: ‘A fact-finding hearing… culminated in serious findings against the father of multiple rapes which commenced whilst the mother was sleeping, domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour.’
A lawyer representing the woman described the man’s ‘abusive’ behaviour as ‘prolonged and insidious.’
Mrs Justice Arbuthnot is expected to make a decision on the politician’s appeal in the near future.
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