Handling False Accusations in Child Custody Cases - What Can You Do?

A divorced mother of two children (a 15-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son) was sentenced to a jail term for contempt of court. She not only involved her children in the messy divorce but encouraged her daughter to post false accusations against her father on social media.

These posts called the husband a "sexual fetishist pervert." The judge who sentenced the mother expressed deep concern for the effect the acrimonious divorce had on the children.

Accusations and counter-accusations are common in a contested divorce. False claims can include:

• Child abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Drug use
• Verbal abuse
• Psychological abuse
• Domestic violence

When there are false accusations made to win child custody, these can have a far-reaching impact on the children, apart from denying the victim their parental rights. Knowing how to defend yourself in such cases is important to curtail the damage and the impact it has on your children.

What can you do to handle false accusations?

Understand the reason

False accusations indicate desperation on the part of the accuser, who may have no other evidence to present against you. They may claim you neglected the children, failed to obey court orders, or that you abused the children.

These accusations are made to gain a perceived advantage in the custody case. One way to prevent them from gaining an advantage is to show these accusations are false. Your friends, family members, and divorce lawyer can help you with the next step of gathering evidence to prove the accuser wrong.

Gather evidence

While false accusations leave you frustrated and angry, try to think about the steps you can take to demonstrate that you are a responsible, good parent. You will need to collect and present all the proof possible to show the accusations are false.

For instance, if your spouse claims you have a history of sexual harassment or child abuse, you can show you do not have any such criminal record. You can also show that no such complaints were ever made against you.

If your ex claims you never pick your children on time from school, you can request an authority at the school to give a statement that indicates you pick your children on time. Alternatively, you can use an activity log app that is time-stamped to confirm the time that you pick up children.

How our Divorce Lawyers can help you

Being proactive by consulting a Singapore divorce lawyer as early as possible is in your - and your children's - best interests. Please speak to our divorce lawyers to understand how you should respond if the accusation is posted online or in the court document.

Emotions often run high in divorces involving conflict, and false accusations can leave you powerless.

Our legal guidance will help you keep emotions in check and take a practical approach to overcome negative situations.