Mother Vindicated After Top Judge Overturns Unregulated Expert’s Evidence

A mother whose children were taken away by the family courts has been vindicated after a six-year struggle to overturn flawed evidence given by Melanie Gill, an unregulated psychologist. Gill had advised a judge there was no need to investigate serious allegations of domestic abuse and that the mother had turned her children against their father — leading to a “draconian” court order removing the children in December 2019. One of the children told TBIJ: “Melanie Gill stole our childhoods. What happened is wrong and those responsible, including Cafcass, owe us an apology.” The human story behind the Re Y judgment, and essential reading for any solicitor or barrister whose client may have been assessed by an unregulated expert.

Source: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 13 February 2026 (updated 27 February 2026)