Father awarded damages over ban on seeing his children Published duration 9 March 2017

image copyright Google image caption The man complained that Luton Borough Council breached his human rights by preventing him from seeing his children

A man who was falsely accused of sexually abusing his two children has been awarded damages from a council.

The man was arrested and prevented from seeing the youngsters for two years after allegations by their mother.

But social services suspected the children had been coached to make false allegations and concluded their mother had caused them "significant harm".

A High Court judge heard that Luton Borough Council had apologised to the man and awarded him £15,000 damages.

The man and his former partner had been involved in a five-year legal dispute over the children, the court was told.

The woman had initially made "serious allegations" about the man's conduct towards one child and then claimed he had sexually abused both youngsters.

Children 'thriving'

The man complained that social services at Luton Borough Council had breached his human rights by preventing him from seeing the children.

Details of the case have emerged in a ruling by Mr Justice Cobb following a private hearing at the High Court in London.

The judge said the children had eventually moved to live with their father and were "thriving".