Establishing and documenting the biological father of a child may be an important step for everyone involved. As a mother, holding the father accountable to his obligation to pay child support and protecting the welfare of the child is of tantamount importance. Some fathers wish to stay involved in their child’s life even if they are not interested in maintaining a bond with the child’s mother. A volatile father’s presence, though, one prone to domestic violence, can do more damage to a mother and her child than his absence, as one California woman recently discovered.
Rapper 50 Cent was recently named in a domestic violence case after allegedly kicking his ex-girlfriend and mother of one of his children. The criminal charge, along with the possibility that he would serve jail time, disappeared though, when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of vandalism of the destruction that he caused to his ex-girlfriend’s home. His sentence: probation, community service, therapy and paying for the property he damaged.
The sentence might seem light to some considering the domestic violence and the impact that his actions could have had on his visitation rights with his child. Domestic violence allegations, both real and false, have a significant impact on child custody and visitation rights. Now, however, 50 Cent has a simple vandalism charge on his record, which will not impact his parental rights.
Depending on the current child custody arrangement in place, though, the ex-girlfriend may wish to research information on whether she should pursue supervised visitation to protect her child. She may also wish to keep a copy of the police report from this domestic violence incident and any others that have occurred or might still occur in the future. If she feels that she or her child are in danger, restraining orders are also an option that can possibly be pursued in California.
Source: castanet.net, 50 Cent avoids jail in domestic violence case, No author, Oct. 28 2013
