Father alleged to have breached court orders requiring him to return three children to UK

High Court reporters

A judge has made orders directing Gardaí to arrest and bring the father of three children before the court over his alleged failure to return them to their country of habitual residence.

The order was made on Wednesday by Mr Justice Garrett Simons in relation to the man, who, along with members of his family, cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The judge made an order allowing the media to report the fact that court has made orders in respect of the three siblings, who are all under 16, as long as they are not identified.

The three children were the subject of proceedings brought by their mother under the Hague Convention, the international agreement which governs alleged 'child abduction'.

Their mother asked the courts for orders directing that the children to be returned to their country of habitual residence, which is the UK.

The family are not Irish nationals, but earlier this year were all taken to Ireland, where they resided at a location outside of Dublin with their father.

The mother claims the father was not entitled to re-locate them away from the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The mother's applications were opposed by the father.

The High Court and the Court of Appeal made orders last month directing the father to return the children by August 8th.

Following his alleged failure to comply with that order, the father was further directed to bring the children to a location in Dublin on Wednesday morning, which he also failed to do.

Arising out of the father's failures to comply with those orders, the mother's lawyers returned before Wednesday's vacation sitting of the High Court and asked Mr Justice Simons for orders against the father over his alleged contempt of court.

Following that application, Mr Justice Simons directed that the children's father be brought before the court by Gardaí to answer to his alleged contempt.

The judge also made orders allowing Gardaí and the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, to enter the property in Ireland where the father and the three children have been residing for the purposes of securing the children and bringing them before the courts.

The father was further ordered to deliver the children's passports to gardaí.

The matter is expected to return before the High Court in the coming days.