The truth is finally out, and it's worse than we feared. The BBC has exposed a shocking cover-up that strikes at the heart of our broken family court system – an IT bug that has been systematically erasing crucial evidence from family court cases for seven years.
For fathers fighting desperately for time with their children, this revelation is both vindication and devastation rolled into one. How many dads have lost precious custody battles because vital evidence simply vanished into the digital void? How many children have been denied relationships with their fathers because the system literally deleted the proof of their dad's fitness to parent?
Fathers United. Rights Respected. – This scandal proves exactly why we must stand together and demand transparency in every aspect of our family court system.
The Digital Disaster That's Been Hiding in Plain Sight
Since 2018, the UK's case management software – the system that judges, solicitors, and court officials rely on to track evidence and make life-changing decisions about our families – has been fundamentally broken. The BBC's investigation revealed that HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has known about this catastrophic IT bug for years but chose to keep it secret.
Here's what's been happening to the evidence that could have changed your case:
- Documents completely disappearing from digital case files
- Evidence being overwritten by other cases
- Crucial data becoming invisible to judges and legal teams
- Family court records corrupted without anyone's knowledge
The Social Security and Child Support Tribunal was hit hardest, but family courts across England and Wales have been affected. Every custody hearing, every contact application, every desperate father's plea for equal time with his children – potentially compromised by a system that's been failing in silence.
The Cover-Up That Betrays Every Father's Trust
What makes this scandal even more outrageous is the deliberate decision by court administrators to keep judges and lawyers in the dark. HMCTS bosses concluded it would be "more likely to cause more harm than good" to inform legal professionals that evidence was going missing.
Think about that for a moment. While you were pouring your heart out in court, presenting evidence of your bond with your children, proving your capability as a father – the system may have been hiding crucial documents that could have supported your case. And the people making decisions about your family's future had no idea.
Every Dad Matters. – And every dad deserves a fair hearing based on complete, uncorrupted evidence.
Sir James Munby Speaks Truth to Power
Former head of the High Court's family division, Sir James Munby, didn't mince words when he learned about this cover-up. He called it "shocking" and "a scandal" – and he's absolutely right.
Sir James understands what we've been saying all along: "These hearings often decide the fate of people's lives." When evidence goes missing in family court, it's not just paperwork – it's proof of a father's love, documentation of his parenting skills, records of his children's wishes to see him more.
The stakes couldn't be higher, yet the system has been operating with compromised data for years.
The Parallels Are Terrifying
Legal experts are comparing this IT disaster to the Post Office Horizon scandal – the catastrophic computer failure that led to hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters being wrongfully prosecuted. If faulty technology can destroy lives and livelihoods in the postal system, imagine what it's doing to family relationships.
At least with the Post Office scandal, there was eventually recognition and compensation. But what about the fathers who've lost contact with their children because corrupted evidence made them look unfit? What about the children growing up without their dads because a computer bug deleted proof of paternal love?
HMCTS Claims "No Impact" – Do You Believe Them?
The official line from HMCTS is predictably dismissive. They claim their investigation found "no evidence that any case outcomes were affected." Justice Minister Sarah Sackman described it as having "very low incidence."
But here's the problem with their reassurance: HMCTS admits they don't know the full extent of the data corruption. How can they possibly claim no cases were affected when they haven't even determined how widespread the problem really is?
For fathers who've experienced the family court system's bias firsthand, this response feels all too familiar. It's the same institutional arrogance that tells dads their concerns don't matter, that dismisses fathers' rights as secondary to bureaucratic convenience.
What This Means for Your Case
If you've been through family court proceedings since 2018, you need to ask serious questions:
Document everything independently. Don't rely solely on the court's digital records. Keep your own copies of every piece of evidence you submit.
Request complete case files. You have the right to see what's actually in your digital case file. If documents are missing, demand explanations.
Consider grounds for appeal. If your case had an unfavorable outcome and you suspect evidence may have gone missing, this IT bug could provide grounds for review.
The Broader Pattern of System Failure
This IT cover-up isn't happening in isolation. It's part of a broader pattern of institutional failure in our family court system:
- Bias against fathers in custody decisions
- Lack of transparency in court proceedings
- Dismissal of fathers' concerns about access to children
- Systemic protection of court failures over family welfare
The same system that covered up missing evidence for seven years is the same system that routinely denies fathers equal parenting time. The same institutional mindset that prioritized avoiding "harm" to the court's reputation over ensuring fair trials is the same mindset that treats fathers as secondary parents.
Standing Together for Digital Justice
This scandal proves what we've been saying all along: the system is rigged against fathers, and transparency is our only weapon. We cannot allow court administrators to hide technical failures that affect our fundamental rights as parents.
We demand:
- Full disclosure of all cases potentially affected by this IT bug
- Independent investigation into how many custody decisions were compromised
- Automatic right of review for any father whose case may have been affected
- Complete overhaul of digital court systems with built-in transparency safeguards
Your Children Deserve Better
Every child deserves the truth about why daddy can't see them more often. They deserve to know that it wasn't because dad didn't fight hard enough, or didn't love them enough, or wasn't good enough.
Sometimes, it's because the system literally deleted the proof of how much daddy cared.
Join the Fight for Digital Accountability
We're not just fighting for better IT systems – we're fighting for the fundamental principle that fathers deserve fair treatment based on complete, accurate information. We're demanding that no more children lose time with their dads because of technical cover-ups and institutional arrogance.
Share this article. Make sure every father knows about this scandal. The more pressure we create, the more likely we are to get real answers and real change.
Document your own experiences. If you suspect your case may have been affected by missing evidence, start building a record now.
Support transparency reforms. Every father should have the right to verify that their complete case file is available to decision-makers.
The BBC has done what the family court system refused to do – they've told us the truth. Now it's our responsibility to make sure this truth leads to justice for fathers and children across the UK.
Fathers United. Rights Respected. – Because every dad and every child deserves a system that works with complete, uncorrupted evidence.
Every Dad Matters. – And every missing document represents a father's voice that the system tried to silence.
The cover-up is over. The fight for accountability begins now.