By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com
A 2 1/2-year-old child has been returned to his father, an Australian citizen, under an Sacramento Superior Court order enforcing an international treaty pertaining to child abduction.
The goal of the Hague Convention International Child Abduction Treaty is to promptly return abducted children to the country of residence where any unresolved custody or visitation issues can be settled, according to Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.
In February, the father of a child identified by the DA's office as Tristan C., allowed the youngster to come to the United States with his mother, Yvonne Pierman, for a family funeral and a two-month visit. Pierman has dual United States and Australian citizenship.
The father agreed to the visit, anticipating the child would be returned to Australia on April 24. But Pierman did not return as agreed and said she had decided not to return with Tristan, the news release said.
An application was instituted in Australia under the Hague Treaty for return of the child, and the District Attorney's Office received it June 3.
Pursuant to the court order, district attorney investigators, with the assistance of the Sacramento Police Department, located and retrieved the youngster for court proceedings in Sacramento on Wednesday. The father traveled to Sacramento at his own expense to be present for the hearing and to take the child home, officials said.
"People need to know that one parent just can't unilaterally deprive the other parent of their right to the child," Deputy District Attorney Rich Curry said in the news release. "The Hague Convention treaty will be used to return a child brought into this country or kept here without lawful orders. In this case, the Australian courts are the proper forum to decide custody of Tristan."
Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.