Stanley and Ayreton

In proceedings before Burr J, the court considered an application by Mrs Lindsay, counsel for the mother, for leave to withdraw. This application arose from the mother's refusal to comply with a prior court order dated 20 May 2011, specifically paragraph 3, which required her to provide detailed information about an individual identified as "Y", beyond their full name. The mother was not present at the hearing and could not be contacted by the court.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether to grant leave for Mrs Lindsay to withdraw as counsel for the mother, given the mother's non-compliance with a court order and her absence from the hearing. A secondary issue, arising from the circumstances, concerned the appropriate interim orders to protect the child, D.

Burr J granted leave for Mrs Lindsay to withdraw, acknowledging her stated grounds for seeking to do so. The court then listed the proceedings for further mention and directions, requiring the mother to attend in person or by legal representative. The court indicated a willingness to make default orders should the mother fail to attend. Furthermore, as an interim measure pending the adjourned hearing, the court granted an injunction restraining the mother from permitting the person known as "Y" to have any unsupervised time with the child D.