Mother sees law change inching forward after sons' fatal fire tragedy
Claire Throssell says the Courts and Tribunals Bill reaching the report stage this week moves her nearer to ending the legal presumption that both parents must have contact with children, a reform driven by the 2014 fire that killed her boys.
Claire Throssell, whose two sons perished in a deliberately set loft fire by their father Darren Sykes in 2014, announced that the Courts and Tribunals Bill will reach the report stage in the House of Commons this week, bringing her a step closer to fulfilling a promise she made to the boys. The bill seeks to scrap the presumption that both parents should automatically have contact with a child, instead obliging courts to decide solely on the child's welfare.
Throssell has spent more than ten years lobbying for this reform after the tragedy, during which Sykes also died in the blaze. Her campaign, which earned her an MBE in the 2021 New Year Honours, highlights that dozens of children have been killed by abusive parents under one outlet system. The legislation will now proceed to the House of Lords for further scrutiny. Minister Alex Davies-Jones affirmed the government’s commitment to prioritise child safety in the new law.
Why it matters
Changing the law could prevent future child deaths by ensuring courts prioritize safety over automatic parental contact.
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