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Parents cleared of starving 'fussy eater'
THE parents of a fussy-eating toddler who was taken into care over allegations he was being starved have finally cleared their names after a nightmare year-long battle with social services.
Lisa and Paul Hessey said they had been to "hell and back" over the past 12 months as they fought family court proceedings to take their two-year-old son Zak away from them.
He is now back home with them in Bolsover, near Chesterfield, but spent four months living with foster parents because the authorities claimed his parents were at fault and failing to feed him.
Lisa, aged 28, and Paul, 48, had always suspected their son's fussy eating habits were down to autism and specialists have now confirmed his problems were caused by the developmental disorder, rather than by parental neglect.
Since Zak was returned to his family last November, he has remained at the centre of family court proceedings.
These have involved social services, but a judge has now ordered the case to be discontinued.
The furious couple said the ordeal had "dragged their name through the mud" and have revealed they are now planning to launch a legal claim for compensation.
Mum-of-five Lisa said: "It has been a total nightmare but now it's over.
"We wanted to clear our names because we didn't do anything wrong. We just wanted the best for Zak.
"When we took him to hospital we never thought this would happen.
"Even our GP and health visitor thought he could be autistic but the doctors at the hospital refused to listen to us when we tried to tell them. They were determined to take him."
Paul added: "I am extremely angry that we have been put through this.
"I want action taken immediately so nobody else suffers like we have.
"The authorities get away with too much, they think they are God."
The Hesseys' ordeal began last May as they became increasingly concerned about the eating habits of Zak, then aged 18 months.
Their first stop for help was the GP and health visitor who referred them to Chesterfield Royal Hospital.
Lisa said doctors there told them Zak was "delayed and showing autistic tendencies" and sent them home promising there would be further contact from health workers.
But contact never came and by June 6 Zak had become very poorly and needed to be admitted to hospital. A dairy-free diet was recommended. The couple agreed to follow it.
Lisa said it failed to make any difference and on July 10 they took him back to the hospital for a two-week feeding assessment. They did not realise when they handed him over that would be the last time he would live with them for four months.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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