Why not negotiate with Tom Philips?
Former police inspector Lance Burdett has offered to help negotiate an ending to the years-long hunt for Tom Phillips and his three children, missing in the Bush around Marokopa.
The former police negotiator told the Herald: “It’s one father to another trying to resolve what’s become a deadlock. That’s the line I’m going down.”
Phillips and his kids, Jayda, 11, Maverick, 9, and Ember, 8, have captured not only the attention of police, but people around the world – most recently last month after teenage pig hunters captured footage of the quartet, dressed in camouflage and carrying large backpacks across rugged farmland.
This has always been about the Family Court issue.
The authorities are freaking out because the onerous and anti-Father Family Court process has ripened many fathers ready to ‘do a Tom Phillips’.
I spent 5 years in the Family Court process, I would not wish it upon my worst enemy.
The issue here is not can we track Tom down, the question is how do we negotiate him surrendering himself so that those kids are no longer in the middle of this.
Negotiating with Tom is the smart thing to do.
Acknowledge the stresses on him and bring him to a place where he can ease this situation down rather than escalate it.
Of course he is going to have to be held accountable legally for his actions, but there is a way that can be done where he can still see his kids.
The Empire of broken Fathers that the Family Court has produced alongside the punitive child support sanctions has generated a subterranean culture that has poisoned the ground water of masculinity into a fervent bitterness that pushes a father to flee with his children and go on the run.
Tom Philips is just another fractured Man in an Empire of broken Fathers.
Negotiate this so his kids are no longer in the middle of this hideous situation.
It is better than cornering him and shooting him.
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There are mens rights types on TDB who seem to think “she done me wrong” is an excuse for any action they may take, or that the system is stacked against them which is another excuse for doing what they like.
Newsflash: the system (legal) is stacked against all of us apart from the paid practitioners and takes a lot of skill/resources to navigate which ordinary people often do not have. Children are not chattels though, they are humans in training for their later independent life.
Relationships do crap out, and all sexes and genders can go a bit psycho and behave badly when the emotional connection is severed. Some manage to move on and others hold resentment all their lives–I have a family member in the latter situation and it is no fun.
So…what does Mr Phillips intend to do when his kids are all in their teens if he evades detection? It is likely he has a survival bunker near a strong supporter, maybe even with Wifi, who knows. His supporters were not swayed by thousands of taxpayer dollars in the reward offered by Police. His kids cannot live like ferals all their lives can they? Negotiation is fine but the longer it goes on the more unhinged the father becomes and an ugly ending more likely.
Probably living less feral than they would growing up in most urban areas.
Unlikely to happen because the family court would have to admit they have failed the FAMILY .I would doubt the wants of the children have ever been considered as from experience the legal system believes kids cant think for them selves or can decide what they want .
They were living with Tom when the mum abandoned them and now she decides she fucked up so the court bends Tom over and gives him one .
People who have not dealt with this biased system have no idea how many lives are being ruined and how many suicides and attempted suicide are being caused by this lop sided system .
You do not know the Mum abandoned them that is just a sexist comment. You have no idea what went on, just making assumptions and the usual tropes. She is the kids mother and has every right to be part of their lives. If a father leaves, as so many do, do you say they abandoned the kids? No.
Gordon would have a friend or a family friend who knows all the facts about this case so he feels he can pontificate and slag off a grieving mother.Some men makes me feel embarrassed to be the same gender.
Completely agree Tiger Mountain. Living like outlaws is no way for these children to be brought up no matter what the trouble this guy had with the Family Court. He is obviously a very controlling guy and its his way or the highway, or in this instance, the bush. So wrong.