My client Tom* was at work when the police turned up. They served him with an intervention order, took him home and told him to pack a suitcase. If he returned home, or contacted his wife or children, he'd be facing two years' jail. He'd had no inkling this was coming.

The order was an interim one, granted ex parte. That means the court issued it in his absence, having heard only his wife's side of the story.

Intervention orders do more than just restrain violence. Often they separate a man from his children, evict him from his home and deprive him of his property. Credit:Craig Sillitoe

In theory, Tom could go to court and argue his case, but a hearing date was months away. With his wife now in sole possession of the family home, her lawyers came on heavy about a divorce and a property settlement. They hinted that if he played ball, he could start seeing his kids again.

As is often the case, the intervention order was just a tactic in family law proceedings. It's not what intervention orders are intended for, but delays in getting court time mean ploys such as this are common. Magistrates' courts are so swamped with these cases, the parties wait months for a hearing.