Family and Friends Forum

Hi,

I'm sure there was a thread on here about character references. I'll try to find it for you.
Keep things factual rather than emotional. Unless stated in the psychological report I probably wouldn't mention the reason he has given. Maybe just say something along the lines of this being out of character whilst under the influence and the steps he has taken to address his drug use.

I wrote that I planned to support him as the father of my child and believed that he was capable of being a good father to her.
He also had another half a dozen people who had written for him, family, friends and his employer at the time.

You could potentially talk about the way he contributes to the home, what his working background is and if he is able to do this moving forward xxx

Hi, I wrote a letter to the Judge. I write about my then husband, what he was like as a husband and as a Father. I wrote about how he spent seven years gaining a degree through the Open University so that we could have a better life. I said that I didn't think my oldest two daughters would be where they are today (one is a Doctor, the other has just finished a Master's from Cambridge University) if it hadn't been for my ex husband teaching them and having the patience of a saint. I wrote that my ex was "normal" in every other way, never even having raised his voice to me or our four children.
The Judge said my letter was very well written and eloquent. He asked me to stand up so he could see who wrote it. It made no difference whatsoever. He sent him down for three years custodial, first offence. Xx. Ps. I'm still glad I wrote the letter!

The judge read the letter I sent for my son as did his sister and my ex husband. The judge mentioned in his summing up that he could see my son had a lot of love and support and I do think they take things like this into account x

I wrote a letter for my son. In my letter I explained that my son was remorseful and took full responsibility for his offence. I outlined the fact that since being arrested he had attended psychotherapy and the LFF course and completed the LFF modules. I explained that his marriage had ended and that he'd lost his home, job and family life as a result of his offending. I explained that he loved his children and regularly had them to stay at weekends with supervised contact.
I was advised to keep the letter factual rather than emotional and to write no more than 1 A4 side of paper. I was also advised to avoid commenting on what I was hoping the outcome of the sentence would be.

I hope that helps and I wish you all the very best for an outcome that is as good as it can be.