To my small, very supportive crew, i salute you!
Learning as he went, Spring had many wins (and a couple of set backs based on false allegations supplied to the Family Court) when battling for his children in the Family Court, High Court, and the Court of Appeal as a self represented litigant, setting some now well used precedents along the way.
On Fathers Day 2024 we made it known that we would start talking about the Family Court, and Springs (and others) experiences over the past decade or so.
Spring says “sharing some of my stories will be in no particular order, but they are real, and will be told for a number of reasons, but most importantly it’s to share with those who are enduring the pain of the system, and what can go on at the hands of exes, at the hands of their lawyers, at the hands of extended family members, and how this can be used as an attempt to coerce the Family Court to assist in the destruction of a person and their life… in the end it’s a very sobering warning of what’s a possibility on the horizon”.
“It’s also a very chilling account of what’s gone on”.
Spring says “Don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve been there, it changes nothing, I am now stronger for it – I’ve never been able to hide from it as the other side have spread anything and everything they can no matter the lie”. “In recent times one of my own kids has told people I’m in jail, and I was informed about it by a really concerned mum”. (I’m not in jail nor have I ever been in jail).
Spring (and many others) have long held the view that the Family Court is adversarial rather than inquisitorial, and that’s often a big issue at the start of any case. Lawyers feed off the sadness, which in the end serves to only hurt the children and the emptying of a fools bank account.
Spring is involved almost weekly helping parents in similar situations, always for free – he attempts where possible to reach an amicable agreement based on his own life experiences in this area of the law.
Alright let’s get going … ”after falling on hard times I started a new job, one I enjoyed a lot as it was stress free, working for the best company with a great team, which was all new to me, but an opportunity I was extremely grateful for (a story about how it all came to an abrupt end is next).
Not long after starting the new job I’m having breakfast in 277 at Cova Cafe with one of my best mates. He is one of the few people who knew the depths of the situation. Whilst we are having breakfast the ex passes by to purchase a coffee. A very public place, with many witnesses.
I never noticed her as my back was turned. My mate did, and we just enjoyed our breakfast. No interaction what so ever, no eye contact, not even so much as a glance.
I walked back up to work to be told the Police were looking for me. By this stage I was the talk of the office, all wondering just what this new arrival had been up to, why the Police were so desperate to get their man. It must be serious.
I never in my wildest dreams considered what was about to come next.
To the Central Police station I go, to be told by investigating officers that a very serious complaint about me had been made by my ex wife, that I had threatened her life in 277 that morning.
At this stage I’m in an interview room being interrogated by 2 cops. A burly male cop standing over me looking aggressive, who has already made his mind up, and a slightly more compassionate female officer, who clearly after talking with me smelt a rat.
If the allegation was true I was told being locked up was a real possibility.
By this stage, tears welling up in my eyes, and the enormous stress of not only this current situation, but what had been going on for months had me in a mode of panic I had never experienced.
I had been warned previously that something bad was likely headed my way – was this it? I was already aware of a private investigator who was following me.
The answer was surely simple – review the security camera footage from 277, and talk to my mate to confirm I never left my seat, as there was no interaction between me or anyone else.
After hours sitting in an interview room being treated like a criminal I’m told I’m free to go, I had done nothing wrong, and it was all a false complaint.
No sorry. Nothing.
I complained bitterly that there must be some action taken for making the false complaint as that is a criminal offence, but the Police reply was this is a Family Court matter and we don’t get involved. Typical. No concern for the distress I’d been under.
Seeing how distraught I was, the female officer chatted with me some more, and it was established that it was my safety that was at risk with the malicious false complaint, so the female officer very kindly supplied an affidavit laying out her concerns at the way the Police had been used, and to reassure the Court I had done nothing wrong.
Sadly for me the damage had been done as the complainant and some in her family had already spread the word that I had been arrested, and what the nature of the complaint was, despite it being a lie made up in an attempt to influence the Court and destroy my chances of being a dad.
The other objective here was to deprive me of my job, knowing an arrest on the allegation would likely see me unemployed, thus creating an issue of being able to afford to see my kids.
There is more to this story to follow, as I will detail the involvement of a barrister, Catherine Townsend”.
Spring says “the allegations against me in recent times post the Court file being closed are just more ludicrous by the day”.
The Spring case reached the Court of Appeal, (this was not his appeal, as he had already won in the High Court) but it was another win for him as a self represented litigant defending a nonsense appeal.
It’s important to consider the role of the higher courts in NZ, as it’s the very best Judges, and in the case of the Court of Appeal it’s 3 Judges who presided over the matter. They were unequivocal in declining the appeal.
Soon after Springs wins in the High Court, and the Court of Appeal, allegations of bribing Judges started to circulate in an attempt to diminish the contents of the judgements in his favour, yet this was never raised in any Court filings or reported to the Police or to the Judicial Conduct Commission.
Once again this was just another sick lie in an attempt to cover up that the truth was coming out in Springs favour.
Stay tuned for more!
