I shouldn't have been made to visit abusive killer mum
Summary
Kelly Higgins experienced abuse from her birth mother, Bernadette McNeilly, who was jailed for a brutal murder in 1993 but still kept some legal rights over her children. Kelly and others are calling for laws to change so abusive parents cannot have any control or visitation rights that may cause further harm to children.Key Facts
- Bernadette McNeilly was jailed for life for her role in torturing and murdering Suzanne Capper in 1993.
- Despite being in prison, McNeilly retained some parental rights over her children, including approval for certain decisions like holidays and piercings.
- Kelly Higgins and her brother were abused physically by McNeilly, with reports to social services and police allegedly ignored.
- Kelly was forced to visit her mother in prison, which caused emotional pain due to conflicting feelings toward an abusive parent.
- Kelly and her foster mother say that transferring full parental rights to foster parents could protect children better and encourage fostering.
- The Ministry of Justice has introduced some restrictions on parental rights in cases involving severe crimes, but Kelly believes these measures are insufficient.
- Kelly credits her foster parents' love and care for her well-being today.
- The situation highlights concerns about how the law handles parental rights for convicted abusive parents.
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