Jo Early, 54, whose baby son Charlie died after his father broke his arm, is campaigning for parents who seriously harm or kill their children to be automatically stripped of parental rights. She says it is wrong that ex-partner Gavin Gibbs was entitled to remain in contact with their daughter Abi, 18, after being jailed for causing grievous bodily harm to Charlie.
Gibbs whispered “please forgive me” as Charlie’s life support machine was turned off in October 2008. He was later cleared of murder but convicted of breaking the three-month-old’s arm. He was sentenced to three years, reduced to two on appeal, and served 11 months.
Campaign for automatic removal
Currently, parental responsibility is only removed when a person is convicted of killing their partner under “Jade’s Law”, named after Jade Ward, 27, murdered by Russell Marsh in 2021. Jo wants the change included in the Courts and Tribunals Bill or a separate Parental Responsibility Act.
She has lobbied Baroness Alison Levitt KC and Victims’ Rights Commissioner Claire Waxman, who backs the campaign. Waxman said: “I welcome the positive steps this Government is taking… however, I am clear that Government has more work to do, as we continue to see cases like these, where abusive parents retain parental responsibility despite the most serious offending.”
Abi’s experience
Abi received messages and presents from Gibbs twice a year until turning 18 last week. She said: “He used to put his aftershave on the cards and I would open them and just smell it. That can be so confusing for anyone let alone a young girl… I think what my mum’s doing is going to be life changing for future victims.”
Jo said: “I don’t want any other family to go through what we’ve gone through because when a perpetrator has access to a very young child the psychological damage that that does can rob them of their childhood.”
Background
Jo met Gibbs at the London Ambulance Service, where she worked in the control centre and he was a paramedic. She gave birth to twins Abi and Charlie on July 23, 2008. Three months later, Charlie was admitted to hospital with brain damage. Doctors found he had a fractured skull, broken arm and broken leg. Gibbs told the Old Bailey that Charlie had fallen off the sofa three weeks earlier. Judge Timothy Pontius described the attack as “an appalling act of violence by a powerfully-built man upon a helpless baby” and jailed him.
Jo asked Gibbs to give up his parental responsibility but he would only do so on condition she allowed him access to Abi. She now wants those rights removed automatically in such cases. Petitions are available on her campaign page.
