KEY POINTS:
Jayden Headley was systematically turned against his father by his mother's family, according to just released documents.
The Family Court has taken the highly unusual step of releasing three of its judgments into the case of Jayden Headley.
Jayden was handed over to Hamilton police yesterday after spending
several months on the run with his maternal grandfather Dick Headley.
But according to reports by judges of the Family Court, his mother Kay Skelton and her side of the family have systematically tried to ensure Jayden's father never gained access to him.
The report describes "the extent and enormity of the psychological abuse to which Jayden has been subjected by his maternal family in the execution of their continuing conspiracy to cut Chris Jones out of Jayden's life."
A decision by Judge McAloon in 2005 describes how Kay Skelton "ignored court orders, practice, protocol and procedure."
It continues: "Kay Skelton has succeeded in ensuring one way or another that Jayden has not had consistent or meaningful or satisfactory contact with his father for most of his life."
The reports come after Jayden was returned to his father yesterday after more than 150 days in which he said he lived in tents in the bush and catching birds to eat while on the run with his grandfather.
The six-year-old was taken from outside Hamilton Public Library in August by a friend of his mother and ended up in the care of Headley, who is now being held in custody and faces kidnapping charges.
Mark Jones, who is the brother of Jayden's father and legal custodian, Chris Jones, said that since being reunited with his father, Jayden had also spoken about wearing disguises when going into town with his grandfather.
Mr Jones said time was needed to establish exactly what Jayden experienced while away in, it is thought, Northland and how accurate and genuine his recollections were.
But despite the huge, ongoing public response to the saga, he said Jayden was in high spirits, appeared to have been well looked after and was taking things in his stride.
Police said today they expect to make more arrests in the case.
Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Paige told Newstalk ZB this morning that there would be more arrests in the case. He said: "I can't say how many. It will be more than one."
Yesterday afternoon, playing happily with his Lego, Jayden seemed like any other 6-year-old having fun - oblivious to the drama and tears surrounding his sudden release after 158 days in hiding.
After interviews with police, Victim Support, a clinical psychologist, a doctor and a lawyer, Jayden was left to "play ball and build Lego" as a fourth court hearing relating to his abduction began late yesterday afternoon.
He was unaware his mother, Kay Skelton, was crying in the cells at the news of her little boy's release.
He would also have been oblivious to the news that his grandfather, with whom he has spent more than five months, was immediately arrested and taken into custody.
The boy's lawyer, Tracey Gunn, told Family Court judge Rosemary Riddell that "for all intents and purposes he is having fun this afternoon but it's been a long day".
Driven through the night and delivered by the grandfather to the Hamilton police station at 9.15am accompanied by Headley's lawyer, Terri Thompson, Jayden must have found the events confusing as he was whisked off to be assessed by a team of experts, including a child psychologist.
Police said the trio's arrival appeared to have been "organised".
In the next eight hours, the courts moved swiftly to release Skelton, put Headley, her father, into custody, return Jayden to the interim care of his father, Chris Jones, and prevent the maternal family from having any contact with the boy.
The appearance of Jayden and his grandfather, 68, took police and the media by surprise, although Headley's wife, Wendy, was not in court when news of their reappearance broke during the first court hearing of the day.
That was when Skelton was due to appear before a depositions hearing into a charge of kidnapping, which she will defend.
Judge Robert Spear was told Skelton's lawyer, David Jones, was stepping down to be replaced by Barry Hart.
Just before she was ordered to the dock, Skelton could be heard sobbing as she was brought up from the cells, having been informed of the pair's reappearance, which immediately sparked three different hearings in the High, District and Family courts.
After the final hearing of the day in the Family Court, Skelton said she was disappointed in her son's representation there - Jayden being represented by Ms Gunn.
"I think it [the decision to return Jayden to Mr Jones] is pretty hard on a boy who's been with his mother for six years," Skelton said.
"We have not alienated him [from his father] and his views should be heard," Skelton said.
The judge forbade the taking of pictures of the boy and suppressed details of views he gave earlier in the day to clinical psychologist Kathy Orr.
His demeanour and answers to questions were explained to the judge by Ms Orr. "He was almost relieved [when the interview concluded]. He stopped crying and took off his top because he was hot. He went and had some lemonade and started building things."
Jayden was last seen playing with trucks and building tunnels.
Despite this, Ms Orr said, the boy was anxious and confused. His grandfather had promised him he would see his mother and grandmother yesterday.
Jayden had become dependent on people caring for him and to be put back suddenly into another world was confusing. He had shown signs of being "schooled" and manipulated. Much would depend on how he settled over the coming few weeks, including how he slept. He was eating, however, having had a pie for lunch.
A number of Family Court proceedings criticising Skelton and her parents were referred to by Judge Riddell when making her order.
"Jayden is very anxious where he will stay tonight and the court owes it to him to let him know as soon as possible," she said.
Placing him in the neutral care of a foster family was neither appropriate nor desirable.
Previous psychological reports presented at other Family Court hearings had "unswervingly" concluded that false representations about his biological father had been fed to the boy by Skelton and her parents.
That was part of the reason the judge rejected a submission made by Mr Hart on Skelton's behalf to return the boy to the care of Wendy Headley or his uncle, Bryce Headley.
Other judgments referred to noted that the Headley family had systematically treated Mr Jones as if he never existed.
An order was made preventing the boy from being in contact with any maternal family member. The order will last until a more substantive Family Court hearing, thought to be at least a fortnight away at the earliest.
- additional reporting: NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA
