Lack of access to his son drives man to hunger strike

A LIMERICK man has begun weekly 48 hour fasts outside City Hall to highlight the lack of access separated fathers have to their children.

Engineer, Bill Kelly said he will continue his protest indefinitely and will fast from 9pm on Wednesday to 9pm on Friday each week using his car for shelter.

Mr Kelly recently separated from his partner with whom he has a ten month old son and since the break up, he said he has been given five and a half hours access a week to the boy.

He said: “I was devastated on receiving a letter from a solicitor giving me this information. My record since the birth has been one of a totally committed and loving parent.”

As he is not married to the child’s mother, he said he has not been registered as a guardian and this could take another six weeks.

He said: “In the meantime there are two horrible situations facing me. There is a real danger that the bond between me and my son being broken. And a second fear is that when this matter is adjudicated on, be it by mediation or in the courts, I am afraid that the five and a half hours will be represented as a precedent with regards to the time I will be allowed have access to my son.”

Mr Kelly said he wants 50% access to the child.

He said: “I am not talking about having him in a crèche during this period. I want to parent him and this would be in the best interest of the child. This protest will continue until there is a resolution in the bests interest of fathers and children.”

He said before he and the child’s mother split up, he had played a full role in parenting the child.

Mr Kelly said: “I gave him his breakfast before going to work and I devoted all my time after work to him and weekends. My life revolved around my son and now this bond between me and the child could go down the tubes. I am devastated at the turn of events and I would not be undertaking this protests if I was not interested in my son.”