We are quite often called upon to investigate and obtain proof of cohabitation. This is usually when there is an ongoing divorce case. One partner can plead poverty looking for a handsome divorce settlement. In these scenarios they will say they have little income where in fact they may be living with a new wealthy partner who is more than capable of supporting them.
One such scenario a few years back was a client called us and explained that her ex-husband was telling the court that he was out of work and was forced to live with his father some 70 miles from the ex-marital home near Warwick.
The male was placed under surveillance in Warwick over a period of weeks. This showed that he was in fact living with another woman just five miles from his old marital home in a very affluent area.
He was observed entering the house in the evening with a key and leaving in the mornings with fresh clothing. He was then followed daily to his place of work (the work he didn’t tell the court about).
He was seen shopping in the nearby Waitrose supermarket with his new woman, paying for the shopping himself and then unloading the shopping which was taken into the house.
The visual deceit
Thursday night was Skype night. A weekly ritual, where he would talk to his children via on-line video. The subject had told the client and the court that he was living with dad in Bedfordshire. To make this look genuine it was suspected that he was driving to Bedfordshire on a Thursday to make the Skype calls.
Our operatives were tasked with following the Subject from his place of work on the Thursday and sure enough instead of driving home, he drove to Bedfordshire arriving at his father’s address and placed the Skype call to the children. Granddad would jump in on the conversation reinforcing the picture that dad was indeed living at Granddad’s house.
It wasn’t long after the conversation terminated that the Subject was seen to exit his father’s house and was followed all the way back to Warwick and into the newly discovered love nest he had set up with his new girlfriend.
Furthermore, our investigations showed that he was in full-time self-employed employment working at various locations in the Midlands.
Our report was handed over to the client and the case was presented in due course to the court. We don’t always hear the outcome of our cases, but this client was quick to inform us that the case due to our evidence had gone entirely in her favour.
Article submitted by Melvyn Rattenbury – Full Member F1691 – M.R. Investigations www.investigateit.co.uk info@investigateit.co.uk
