The “hard faced” and very strict Judge put fear amongst many family’s appearing before her and this led to a large amount of hidden recordings taking place inside the secret closed Courtroom where no one but those involved could enter.

Her Family Court room which is referred to as the “Room of Doom” where thousands of Children across Hampshire were ordered into the care of Social/Children Services both to be placed in Foster Care and Adopted in which heavy criticism came from the High Court, Campaign Groups and Documentaries.

Often Children would be removed on the Judges order without proper evidence by Social workers and CAFCASS whilst investigations into the family and care level given were investigated.

Some of Judge Black’s cases were revealed by Appeal at the High Court and in one Ruling Judge Black ordered a 16-year-old mother to give up her baby after a single hearing that lasted under an hour, an Appeal Court ruling later revealed.

Judge Helen Black listened to evidence for 13 minutes before deciding the girl had failed to show she knew ‘what being a parent is about’.

Judge Black then told the teenager she must surrender her child for adoption in a judgment that was just 360 words long.

Lord Justice Baker said: ‘Judge Black is a highly respected and very experienced family judge who is well aware of the need to ensure that the line between robustness and unfairness is not crossed.

‘I regret to say however that I am in no doubt that the line was crossed in this case.

In another damming hearing Judge Black ruled that the genetic mother was ‘not a parent of the children and that her status should not be elevated in that way’.

The judge said she was concerned about how the genetic mother ‘may operate her parental responsibility if she were given it’ and referred to ‘the risks which may be involved in the genetic mother sharing parental responsibility’.

She ruled in favour of the birth mother, granting her a sole residence order for the twins to live with her.

However, the genetic mother – who under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 has no legal status as a parent – challenged the decision in the Court of Appeal.

She insists she should have the same right to look after the twins as the birth mother.

Later at appeal, three judges upheld the appeal and said the case must be sent back to the county court to be reconsidered.

Lady Justice Black, sitting with Lord Justice Moses and Lord Justice Kitchin at the Court of Appeal said that judge in the initial hearing had made her findings without hearing evidence and her decision was, as such, ‘built on foundations which were rather wobbly’.

Judge Black retired with effect from 28th March 2023.

The Forced Adoption Network said;

We are pleased to hear the great news that is long overdue and owed to the family’s that have suffered for many many years due to the mis-judged and bias rulings by the hard faced Judge Helen Black in Portsmouth.

We have assisted many family’s under the McKenzie Friend scheme before this Judge in her room of doom and are well aware of her erratic targeting of innocent children splitting them up from their Birth family’s based on unproven facts and lies of Social Workers.

Often when the cases reach the appeal stage, its far to late to reverse the damage caused by this Judge and children remain with paid adopters having already suffered the imprisonment previously with Foster Carers as “Forced Adoption” is then granted meaning the child(ren) is adopted by the Judge’s order dispensing the parents consent.

Hopefully now for many family’s who appear before the court on unsound and improper accusations stand a better chance of keeping their children in the future.