David DixonAn “abusive” man who hurt his former partner when he practised martial arts moves on her every day has been denied access to their daughter.
Judge Joanna Vincent, based in Oxford, said the forced Aikido sessions caused the woman “physical harm”.
She said the woman had lost “self-confidence” and a “sense of identity”.
The judge said the father, who has not seen the girl for seven years, should show a willingness to change if he wanted to re-establish contact.
The mother told the family court the man had brought her to tears by practising “his Aikido moves… every damn day”.
The couple met in 2008 and separated in 2013 when their daughter was a few months old, the court heard.
‘Temper’ problem
Judge Vincent rejected the man’s request for “parental responsibility”.
She also refused him direct access to his daughter, saying it might “undermine her [the mother’s] ability to care for her child”.
In a published ruling, the judge said: “I found that the father did at times find it difficult to control his temper.
“The father had caused physical harm to the mother by insisting on practising on a daily basis Aikido moves on her.
“By making clear of her his expectations, by his responses to her friends and family, what she wore, her body shape, he… contributed to her experience of the relationship as abusive.”
The judge said the family should not be identified in media reports.
Aikido is a spiritual and self-defence system whose techniques includes throwing and pinning opponents.