Lincolnshire County Council v KP & Ors [2014] EWFC B129 (03 October 2014)

Lincolnshire County Council v KP & Ors [2014] EWFC B129 (03 October 2014)

The local authority failed to establish on the balance of probabilities that A's injuries were non-accidental or that the threshold for a care order under s 31(2) Children Act 1989 was met, due to significant uncertainty introduced by new medical evidence indicating a possible unknown medical cause.

Citation
[2014] EWFC B129
Parties
Mother: KP; Father: LC; Mother's Partner: CG; Applicant: Local Authority; Child: A
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
03 October 2014
Procedural Posture
Care Proceedings / Fact Finding Judgment
Outcome
application dismissed
Legal Topics
Care Orders, Non Accidental Injury, Threshold Criteria, Burden of Proof, Unknown Causation

Case Brief

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Parties

KP

Mother

LC

Father

CG

Mother's Partner

Local Authority

Applicant

A

Child

Procedural Posture

Care Proceedings / Fact Finding Judgment

  1. 1 Whether the threshold for a care order under s 31(2) Children Act 1989 is met
  2. 2 Whether A's injuries were non-accidental and, if so, whether the perpetrator can be identified
  3. 3 Whether the injuries could be attributed to an unknown medical cause

Ratio Decidendi

The local authority failed to establish on the balance of probabilities that A's injuries were non-accidental or that the threshold for a care order under s 31(2) Children Act 1989 was met, due to significant uncertainty introduced by new medical evidence indicating a possible unknown medical cause.

Court Disposition

application dismissed

Orders

  • Application for care order dismissed
  • Mother and interveners exonerated of any wrongdoing