A woman identified as Lucy is campaigning for legislative reform in Northern Ireland to automatically strip parental responsibility from anyone convicted of child-related sexual offences. Her fight comes after discovering that her ex-husband, who was convicted of possessing indecent images of children including videos of child sexual abuse, is pursuing supervised contact with their child through family court.
Lucy told a national broadcaster that the prospect of her ex-husband having any contact with their child makes her "feel sick". She described the moment she learned of his crimes as the point when her "world was blown apart", and said she was further distressed to find herself defending against his legal bid for access.
The case highlights a significant gap in Northern Ireland's family law framework. In England and Wales, Jade's Law—named after Jade Ward, who was murdered by her ex-partner Russell Marsh in 2021—automatically suspends parental responsibility for a parent convicted of murdering or committing voluntary manslaughter against a partner or ex-partner with whom they share children. However, this protection does not extend to Northern Ireland.
Earlier in 2026, Finance Minister John O'Dowd committed to changing family law to automatically remove parental responsibility from anyone convicted of murdering someone with whom they shared a child. According to the Department of Finance's response to the Assembly, officials have been tasked to begin detailed policy development, with legislation intended for the next mandate. A Department of Finance spokesperson confirmed O'Dowd's commitment to developing legislation that would provide "stronger protections for children and families", with a consultation planned to set out proposals for reform in cases involving homicide and "on whether comparable protections should be extended to other forms of serious offending".
What does Lucy want the law to do?
Lucy is calling for the law to be extended beyond homicide cases to include anyone on the sex offenders register. She believes such a change would protect children and families while potentially deterring future offending.
"When I think of my husband, who I believed him to be, compared to this person, this person's a complete stranger to me,"she said.
"It makes me feel sick to think that he would be even near my child. So I really do not want to put my child in a room with a stranger, supervised or not. As a mother all I want to do is protect my child and I'm not doing that if I'm letting [them] in a room with a stranger."
Lucy acknowledged that her call for legislative change was a "huge" demand, but framed it as essential for child protection. Geraldine Hanna, Commissioner for Victims of Crime, said courts currently had discretion in individual cases but should be given "all the powers they need" to address concerns of this nature.
What protections exist elsewhere in the UK?
Recent developments across the UK have begun to address these gaps. According to the Victims and Courts Act 2026, which received Royal Assent, a new mechanism now allows courts to restrict parental responsibility in serious child-sex-offence cases. A July 2026 legal update indicates the new law requires courts, in specified serious child sexual offence cases, to make prohibited steps orders affecting parental responsibility. However, Northern Ireland-specific commentary published in September 2026 confirms that Jade's Law still does not apply there, despite being passed in England and Wales.
What do experts say about supervised contact?
Safeguarding expert Marcella Leonard told the broadcaster that when courts consider cases involving people convicted of child-related sexual offences, they must balance the offender's "right to family life" against the child's right to have a relationship with that parent. However, she stressed that any such process must be individualised and based on strict criteria.
"The person must have undergone specialist risk assessment that looks at why they did what they did and the particular risk to the child,"Leonard said.
"They must also engage with therapeutic interventions which are tailored for the individualised risk that the person poses – not general programmes which are not specific to the individual. Then and only then should contact be considered to be supervised."
Leonard added that the person undertaking supervision must also undergo "protective assessments" to identify any education they may need to properly hold the parent accountable and ensure the child's safety.
How has this affected Lucy and her family?
Lucy had no warning of her ex-husband's offending until police arrived at their home with a search warrant to seize his devices and arrest him. She described herself and her child as "indirect victims" of his crimes, experiencing their own form of trauma.
"Whilst I can't imagine what the children in the [indecent] pictures have gone through, and there's a part of me that almost doesn't let my brain go there, what happened from the door knock completely broke our lives,"she said.
"There's a before and there's an after. And the before is this lovely time of innocence, of believing somebody at face value, of believing that people are safe. Since the door knock, nobody is safe and I struggle with that. Our whole lives have being totally and utterly upended and still continue to be so, that whilst we're not direct victims, we're certainly indirect victims."
As a result of the discovery, Lucy and her child were forced to leave the family home and relocate to another area to shield the child from learning the truth about their father. Despite initial contact with social services—during which Lucy said she had to be assessed as fit to parent her own child—no further support was provided, particularly around the time of her ex-husband's court proceedings.
"Why isn't there a system in place to tell family members ahead of that to prepare us or to make sure that we're safe?"she asked.
"You're totally on your own. There are no organisations in Northern Ireland, there's no local support to help family members deal with this, so where do I go to next to get the help for what happens next?"
What is the broader impact of such crimes?
Geraldine Hanna emphasised that crimes of the type Lucy's ex-husband was convicted of are "devastating" and "land like a bomb" in people's lives.
"This case really highlights the broader ripple impact of crime,"she said.
"We don't often think about the wider impact... that it has on those who are associated with the accused in such crimes. So if that's your partner, your husband, the father of your children, there is real need to ensure that there's clear pathways to support for you in that case, so that you have the information and that independent support and information to help you make informed decisions and that you're supported through the journey as well."
Lucy described much of her life since her ex-husband's crimes were uncovered as "a blur" and "horrific".
"Every now and then when something happens through court or something happens with the case, I go right back to the door knock - of the days after the door knock that were so horrific,"she added.
"And I don't think we will ever be able to move fully on from that."
What happens next?
The Department of Finance has stated its aim to bring forward legislation early in the next mandate. A consultation is planned for autumn to set out proposals for reform in homicide cases and to consider whether comparable protections should be extended to other forms of serious offending, potentially including child sexual offences. The Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime welcomed the Finance Minister's announcement on Jade's Law in May 2026, signalling support for legislative progress on this issue.
