Father provided cannabis to his 13-year-old daughter.

A man provided his 13-year-old daughter with cannabis and defied an order that barred him from communicating with her. Additionally, he instructed his daughter to erase their message exchanges so her mother wouldn’t discover them.

Newport Crown Court was informed that the father, from Bridgend, was under a court-imposed non-molestation order, which forbade any contact with his daughter, barring pre-scheduled meetings. He violated this directive by texting her, with some of the messages indicating he had given her cannabis. The police apprehended him in June after the girl’s mother reported the incident.

As reported by Wales Online on Sunday, October 22, 2023, Upon being informed of the non-molestation order’s stipulations, he retorted, “I won’t heed this. I won’t abandon my child for that reason.” He admitted to police that he had met his daughter just two days prior.

Prosecutor Abigail Jackson highlighted the defendant’s additional infringements of the order while out on bail, such as instructing his daughter to erase messages and making video calls. Subsequent to another arrest, it required five officers to detain him. He later confessed to distributing cannabis and violating the non-molestation order on three occasions. Past offenses, including cocaine possession, were noted in his record.

The defense attorney, Adam Sharp, opposed a proposed restraining order, asserting it would be excessively restrictive as it would bar his client from accessing Bridgend town center. Sharp mentioned the defendant’s challenging upbringing and past experiences as both a witness and a victim of domestic abuse.

In the final judgment, Recorder Mark Powell KC remarked, “You gave cannabis to your own child. This is a grave violation of a father’s duty, irrespective of her wishes.”

The father was sentenced to 26 months in prison and was further restricted by a restraining order from reaching out to his daughter.