For the love of Christopher

Chapter 20 The Appeal

In April 2000, my new partner, Suzi and I prepared to fly out to Greece again for the access appeal. We stayed in, the night before the morning flight to Athens. Previously, I had made a point of going out the night before we left, but this time I wanted to talk to Suzi and make sure she was comfortable with the situation. She already knew what had been happening as I had been honest with her from the start of our relationship. She wanted to go to Greece and give me support.
I had told Suzi everything about the courts and the way my mother and I were treated so she would know what to expect from Helen if they ever met up. "Don't worry about
me, Ian," she said gently. "I'll be with you all the way, the ups and downs, through thick and thin and I'll do whatever I can to help you win your appeal."
The appeal would be the best chance for me to gain access to see Christopher as there had been a lot of interest in the case, especially because my European MP, Gary Titley, had brought it to the attention of the European Parliament in Brussels as well as the publicity I had received in England. The European Court of Human Rights had taken an interest in my case.
I made sure I had all my evidence in case it had gone missing in the Greek system. I still didn't trust them and I had to be prepared for anything. I was ready for the fight of my life. I was stronger now and more determined than ever to see my son who I had fought for, for so long.
I had lost all my other court cases and I was not going to lose this one. Helen and especially Maria and Vangelis will see a big difference in me. They would never again see a broken man in court who allowed himself to shed the tears of depression and fear of losing his son. They would never again see a man who was weak because of the love he had for Helen; the man who was afraid of losing her. I will never forgive them for the hurt and pain they had inflicted on me. I loved Christopher and I would fight like never before to get justice to see my son. I wanted to get the ultimate revenge against Helen, her mother and Vangelis which I had craved for so long.
Suzi and I stayed on the Greek Island of Aegina in the same place my sister and I had stayed the year before. I had made a few friends there especially Mike, whose dad owned a bar. My Bolton Wanderers top took pride of place among all the other football tops which adorned the walls of Mike's bar. We spent several nights there drinking into the early hours with Mike and his family.
It was Suzi's first of many trips to Greece and a trip she wouldn't forget in a hurry. We stayed in a hotel called The Oasis. It was a very old hotel, but very quaint and traditional which was typical of most of the hotels on the island. We arrived there in the late afternoon and it was still very hot which was to my liking. Aegina is a small, beautiful island which has easy access from Piraeus on the mainland. The trip by boat usually took about an hour. The island had many bars and plenty of restaurants serving traditional food. In summer, it was usually visited by mainly Greeks for weekend visits to get away from the hustle and bustle of Athens. I loved it and I knew Suzi would love it too.
For the first couple of days we just relaxed and I showed Suzi around the island. In the evenings, we drank the night away in Mike's bar till the early hours. Mike kept giving us shots and homemade cocktails and to this day I don't know what Mike put in them. I got so drunk one night, I fell over, smashed a table and cut my head open. I vowed I would never again drink Mike's homemade cocktails. I stuck to the local beer after that. I needed to remember my reason for being there and keep a clear head.
The first visit we had to make was to the International Social Services in Athens. There we met a social worker who was to act as mediator between Helen and me to try to reach some middle ground in Christopher's best interest. The social worker was concerned about what psychological damage it might do to Christopher after all the court battles and infighting between both parents. It couldn't have been good for him. On our second visit to Social Services, Helen was there. The social worker made clear to her the importance that a child needed both parents. Helen was told she must try
to get used to the idea as the judge may well give access visits to me. "Ian's role is vital in the upbringing of Christopher," she said. "You have to accept that."
Helen wasn't at all happy with the idea of me having any kind of access visits and she made that pretty clear to the social worker. True to form, Helen caused an almighty fuss and the social worker ended the meeting. I didn't go to International Social Services again. I realised that Helen intended to fight tooth and nail in the court to stop me gaining access to my son. It gave me a clear warning that I was going to have a fight on my hands, yet again.
Suzi and I arrived at the court early and we met up with my lawyer soon afterwards. I was nervous when meeting her again as I didn't know what kind of reception I would get after the tongue-lashing she had received from my sister, Diane. It was embarrassing to think of it, but my lawyer seemed determined and surprisingly, her manner was very friendly and warm towards me. I couldn't help but think that Diane had done me a favour and my lawyer had realised she hadn't really fought for me previously. I will never know the truth about that, but I was happy with her so far.
My lawyer took Suzi and me into a small room and told us that we would have a good chance of getting access, but only in Greece at the moment. All my evidence had been assessed by the judge and she said, "I'm pretty sure you will get some kind of access visits."
For the first time I felt confident with my lawyer who I had previously thought was out of her depth. She had given me hope. As we left the room, I saw Helen with Vangelis and her lawyer. We were advised by my lawyer to ignore them.
Suzi couldn't resist getting one over on Helen and she calmly handed her an envelope containing the divorce papers. Helen glared as she opened the envelope. "I'm not signing these," she said bitterly, but Suzi only had to serve the papers to Helen. As long as she had received them, the divorce would go through.
Helen was furious and threw the papers back at Suzi who carried on walking with a huge smile on her face. Round one to me, I thought with a smile.
We went into court and sat down. My lawyer introduced us to our translator who was called Demetrius. The court room was empty, not like the last time when it had been like a cattle market. It seemed like I was dreaming. Everything was completely different. I had a lawyer who was completely transformed and we had an interpreter who spoke fluent English. The judge arrived in court and the hearing was about to begin.
It was a different judge from the last time and I could see him looking at Suzi and me, then at Helen and Vangelis. Both lawyers approached the judge and gave both sets of papers to him. My lawyer smiled and sat in front of me. The battle was about to commence and the judge asked for Vangelis to step up to the bench.
"What kind of relationship do you have with the boy, Christopher?" he asked.
"A good one," Vangelis answered. "I treat him like my own son."
I couldn't argue with that. I knew Vangelis treated Christopher well.
"Have you ever visited England?" the judge asked.
I waited for Vangelis answer.
"Yes," Vangelis lied.
"You have stated here that Christopher's father is a
criminal with a drink problem and he abused his wife and child," the judge stated as he read the documents in front of him. "Yes, it's true," Vangelis lied again. "He was unemployed in England and he stole a car."
I was astounded by what he was saying and I wanted to stand up and shout – Liar! You dirty rotten liar! – But I restrained myself. I would get my turn later.
Finally, the judge asked Vangelis, "Did you support Ian Lomax, his wife and his son when they were in England?"
"Yes, I did," Vangelis lied yet again. The evil bastard turned round to me and smiled shamelessly.
His despicable actions weren't missed by the judge who demanded, "Sit down."
Vangelis was angry. "Sit down?" he shouted at the judge. "I have questions and I need answers. I'm not sitting down until I say my piece."
The judge was having none of it and politely, yet forcefully he demanded again, "Sit down, please."
I could see Vangelis was becoming flustered and so was his lawyer. Vangelis had just been stopped from making us listen to his lies and he was livid. When he sat down, I winked at him and smiled. I nodded slowly in his direction. It was pay-back time.
Next up was Helen. She was dressed like she was for the second court case, scruffy and with no make-up. It was so obvious she was trying to give the impression she was ill with worrying about losing Christopher. I could read her like a book.
The judge didn't mess about and he asked her, "Do you object to Christopher's father having access?"
"Yes, I do," Helen replied. "If he is given access it must be supervised. I would allow him only half an hour and I must be there all the time."
Surprisingly, the judge cut her short. "Sit down." Her lawyer was disgusted and it showed in the way he was glaring at everybody. As for me, I considered the judge had read our documents thoroughly and it was looking good.
Suzi was the next to be called and I could see complete shock on Helens face. She had no idea what was going on, but I knew that Suzi was going to be my star witness. We had decided to fight fire with fire and Helen and Vangelis would get a taste of their own medicine.
The judge was very polite with Suzi. "Can you tell the court what your life was like in England when Helen and Christopher were living there?" he asked.
Suzi smiled and nodded. "I used to be their babysitter. Helen was a good mother and Ian was a good father," she explained. "They had a lovely house and they used to go on holidays regularly."
"Were you there when Vangelis visited them?" the judged asked.
"Vangelis was never there," Suzi told him. "Only Maria visited England when Ian and Helen went to Paris. She looked after Christopher while they were away."
I turned round to look at Helen and Vangelis. Helen was furious and shouted, "She is lying. I don't know her. She has never been our babysitter."
The judge raised his eyebrows and looked at Helen. "Be quiet or leave the court," he instructed and Helen glared at me as she sat down. I was full of confidence by then as everything seemed to be going our way.
"I'm sorry about the interruption," the judge apologised to Suzi. "You may sit down now and thank you."
When it was my turn to face, I felt full of confidence. The judge smiled as he asked, "Mr Lomax, do you love Christopher?"
"Very much," I replied. "It is very clear that you love him and that is why you are here to gain access to see him. Am I right in saying this?" the judge continued.
"Yes and I want to be able to see him as often as possible," I told him.
"Would you be happy to visit Christopher in Greece?" he asked gently.
"I want to spend some time with my son no matter where or how little time as long as I can see him, because I love and miss him very much," I said. I knew I was pleading, but I needed to make sure the judge knew how genuine I was in my appeal for access.
"Do you keep in contact with your son by letter or telephone?" he asked.
"Yes, every week without fail," I told him.
"Thank you. You may now sit down," he said and smiled at me.
Both lawyers had to approach the bench. I couldn't hear what was going on, but my interpreter told me that the judge had given me some unsupervised access in Greece for the present, but he didn't know how much. My lawyer returned and sat next to me. "Congratulations," she said. "You have won some unsupervised access in Greece for now, but the judge has to decide how much you will get."
Suddenly all my emotions just came out and I began to cry. I hugged Suzi. My feelings were indescribable. I just couldn't believe I finally won. I had finally got my revenge. I hugged my lawyer and thanked her in full view of the judge. I glanced at him and I detected the hint of a smile on his face as if to say well done. Helen and Vangelis stormed out of the court room.
My lawyer told me her office would get in touch with the Lord Chancellor's Office with the decision about my access rights within six weeks. "If you would like to know before then, you could travel to the Greek court in three weeks time and the information will be available." She gave me a translation of part of the judgement given to her by the judge and pointed out to me a reference number at the top of the page. "You will have to show this to the office in the court building."
I shook hands with my lawyer and she wished me good luck. "Goodbye," she said. "I hope all goes well for you and Christopher." I watched her leave the building and wondered why she hadn't fought like that in the earlier court cases, but all that didn't matter anymore.
When Suzi and I left the court building, Helen was waiting for us on her own. Vangelis had disappeared. She came over to me and asked, "Why did Suzi lie in court?"
I stared at her wide-eyed. "Do you mean to say you don't know?" I asked her pointedly. "We only did the same as you and Vangelis did. You said I was a thief and that I abused you and Christopher. I never stole car. How stupid can you get? I couldn't even drive and Vangelis has never been to England or supported us. And you dare to question why Suzi said she was our babysitter! Now, get lost. We are going to celebrate our victory."
Suzi and I headed for the nearest bar to celebrate. On the way there, I shouted at the top of my voice and punched the air. "Yeeeeeees!" I jumped up in the air and shouted, "Whoopee! Whoopee!" I was so very, very happy. Suzi was laughing her socks off and most of the passing Greeks just looked at me in puzzlement. I didn't care. I was enjoying my victory and why not? I had suffered for far too long at the hands of Helen's family. I didn't care how Helen and Vangelis were feeling. I would never forgive them for the hurt and pain they had caused, but I loved Christopher and I would fight all over again in order to be allowed to see my son.
We arrived back on Aegina still wallowing in our victory. The rest of the trip would be spent celebrating. We went straight to Mike's bar and showed him the translation. When he read it, he was surprised that I had only got access in Greece, but I didn't care. I was glad I could be a father to him again.
The last few days on Aegina saw me a changed man. I was happy and all the hurt had disappeared. I decided it was all right for me to get drunk. I wanted enjoy my happiness for the first time since Christopher was stolen from my life. I called my mum to tell her the good news. She burst into tears and I knew what it meant to her. I also called the Bolton Evening News and told them of my victory. It was hot off the press the following night and I'm felt sure the people of Bolton were happy for me.
Suzi and I had to return home, but three weeks later we returned to Greece to obtain the directives from the court in Athens. We needed to get them translated into English in order to know what they contained. We studied it afterwards and found out that the judge had awarded me unsupervised access for weekends; every second Wednesday, Easter, Christmas and four weeks during the summer. I had as much contact as I wanted by letter or by telephone. Reading the small print, I discovered I didn't need to hand in my passport at the police station in Perama. If Helen didn't hand over Christopher at the British Embassy at the required time, she might be arrested and taken back to court.
It s seemed to me that after all the bad publicity about Greece, the miscarriage of justice and Gary Titley taking my case to the European Court of Human Rights, my last court case was just a formality. My lawyer had proved her worth and I had what I wanted - my son back in my life.
Before I left, I met Helen with Christopher on the park in Perama where I used to take Christopher to play. I showed her the papers and she started to cry. For a split second, I felt sorry for her, but that's all it was, a split second. I had suffered at the hands of her and her family and it was time for me now to enjoy my victory. It had been a long time coming.
"You and Vangelis destroyed my mother in court with your vicious lies and now you must suffer yourselves from the web of lies and deceit you have concocted all along." I was determined to tell her what she needed to know. "Don't think I didn't know what you were up to with the abduction and everything. I just didn't know how to deal with it at the time, because I truly loved you. In return for my love, you filled my life with pain. You were aided and abetted by your mother who threw me out of the house and told me I would never see you or Christopher again." I paused and looked her squarely in the eye. "You can thank Maria for giving me the strength to fight my cause. There was no way I was going to allow you, her or Vangelis to stop me from seeing my son. I sincerely hope that one day she will get her come-uppance for the sins she has committed, if not in this life, then in the next." They were harsh words, but well deserved and well meant.
All this time, Suzi sat quietly near to us, but Helen didn't look at her once. I continued to speak plainly to Helen. "I loved you dearly, but you have lost all the love I had for you. All the beautiful memories we shared have been destroyed by your deceit and lies. I don't think I shall ever forget all the pain and suffering you put me through, but I intend to have a good life without you." I walked away from Helen and went to hug Christopher. "I love you so much, Chris. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Now I can be your father properly. I can hold you and kiss you and say I love without any outside interference." I kissed him and said good bye. "I'll see you soon," and I smiled at him.
Christopher smiled back. "See yer, Dad."
I walked away with Suzi down the hill of tears where all the memories, good and bad, would now become a distant memory. I flew back to England this time, not as broken man next to two empty seats, but with a new partner and a new future. I was beginning a new chapter in my life, all coming about because of my love for Christopher.