Congratulations. Happy Sixteenth! From today you may take your first steps into the big, wide world.
There are many things you are free to do now, such as earn money, get married, smoke, buy condoms, join the armed forces, run a business and maintain your own home.
Unfortunately, until you can enter into a credit agreement, drive, vote and drink in pubs, no-one takes you seriously! So, have great fun with all your mates practicing for the next couple of years.
No drinking in pubs! Such injustice! You’ll just have to wait until university. 
This is the latest picture I have of you both. May I have some new ones? From this century, preferrably!
Jessica says:
Remove the photograph of myself and Christopher from this site. It was given to you for private use not public use.
May 13, 2006, 7:19 pmJessica says:
In case you are ignorant of the relevant laws regarding copyright, let me educate you so you can no longer have the defence of not knowing.
Under copyright act the photographer has the ultimate copyright for use so you are breaching his copyright, Mum has copyright because she commissioned the photograph and Christopher and myself are covered under copyright for the right of privacy and have to give permission for use of our photograph for public use.
I will ask you to remove this again and let you be aware I have taken legal advice regarding this and will take this further through legal representation. I am sure you are not that low a person. Are you?
May 14, 2006, 9:58 pmIona says:
O cuteeeeee look at my bestfriend she look’s so young , cute
May 15, 2006, 9:23 pmLibertus says:
Iona,
Aren’t they lovely? Considering I look like the front of an Italian town car, it’s a miracle.
May 16, 2006, 8:56 amJessica says:
Remove this picture because I want it removed!
You are abusing this photograph. Do you seriously think this is the way to get new ones?
Do I have to get legal representation to make you remove it? Remember, I have your address.
Of course it’s a miracle we look so good. Thanks for acknowledging the looks come from Mum! Of course, my friends know this because they have all seen TOO much of you from the pictures on this site!
May 16, 2006, 1:10 pmLibertus says:
Jessica,
Ask politely, please.
May 16, 2006, 2:56 pmJessica says:
I have not been impolite! That was you, by publishing a private picture on a public website. You should have asked for permission nicely.
You really think you are something. I have an appointment with my legal representative next week so it is up to you. I will not ask you again – it is up to you to rectify this error in your judgement.
Or was it to cause deliberate embarrassment and hurt?
May 19, 2006, 11:01 pmLibertus says:
Jessica,
I repeat. All you have to do to get the picture removed is to ask politely. For example, “Libertus, please remove the picture.”
May 19, 2006, 11:51 pmAli says:
Fo the love of god, will both of you grow up. Jessica, your dad would like some pictures of you and Christopher that are a little more up to date, why is this such an issue for you?. Whether you believe it or not, he loves you and is very proud of you. I don’t see anything embarassing or hurtful about the photo, I remember you when you looked like that and so do plenty of others who know you and your mum so there is no mileage in this argument. If you don’t like the pictures all you had to do was ask Paul to remove it in a nice way like.
Hi Dad/Paul (choose your own greeting),
I don’t like this picture being published on your site, could you remove it please. I’ll email you privately and we can discuss newer pictures.
Thanks,
Jessica.
Frankly, all this blustering about legal action is counter productive. Having read all the comments that you have posted over the last year or so, I can tell you that you are more like your dad than you want to admit.
Taking the approach I suggested would have shown you to be the grown up and mature person you wish to be known as. You would have gotten the result you wanted and you would have been able to discuss the pictures issue offline and in private.
Paul, take the bloody picture off the site if it is distressing her. Okay, so she didn’t ask nicely but it seems to me that your refusal to remove it is based more on your own stubborness than anything else. She’s a teenager remember, they don’t normally ask nicely for anything.
You will have noticed that I rarely post on comments on the blog where you and your dad are concerned but I felt in this case that I should try and intervene between you two.
Jessica, if you are going to respond to this then I expect the well thought out and adult response I know you are capable of, and not some childish rant.
Paul, same goes for you.
May 20, 2006, 2:53 amJessica says:
What is so impolite about the first comment?
May 21, 2006, 12:29 amJessica says:
Photographs are a reminder to jog a memory of my childhood and not replace it.
Paul is not entitled to photographs to remind him of what I looked like because Paul chose to do other things than be a parent. That photograph is indicative of how much he chose to miss. If he wishes photographs to remind him of his life, he looks in his photo album at photographs he was there to take, his travels, his girlfriends.
Alisdair, I did grow up without a father, so I know he is not is entitled to photographs when he didnt give us what we were entitled to. “Dad” is a title earned, so he is not my “dad”, he is Paul if I am being polite.
I will state again the photograph is for private use not public use. Check the laws you will see I am correct.
May 21, 2006, 12:49 amJessica says:
Alisdair,
Childish rant?
Have you had my life? Have you walked in my shoes? No! So do not patronise me by saying my entries are childish rants.
You say I should be saying things nicely… LOLhypocracy.co.uk is what this shite should be. Yup! You and your wife just stick up for him, crack a few jokes but remember freedom of choice. He CHOSE to travel. He CHOSE to not see his children. He CHOSE to not support them in any way shape or form and just left Mum to do it all. Yup! That’s “dad”.
The manipulation to get responses even by putting private photographs of children on the website is despicable. Children he wouldn’t recognise if he walked past us on the street. I have responded and am awaiting the picture’s removal, because he didnt ask us anything ever yet alone to publish our photos.
Yup! you look at that photo and see how young your children were when you left us, look and remember the children you abandoned. So to answer the question will you get photographs of us? Do you deserve them? Do you know us? The answer is the same to all of them and I don’t need to tell you because you know.
May 21, 2006, 1:02 amLibertus says:
Jessica,
You are given a chance but refuse. You know exactly what is required of you but choose not to do it. So be it. The photo stays. You, and whoever advises you, know too little about people and the law, especially copyright law, to do anything about it.
May 21, 2006, 10:18 amJessica says:
Paul,
You were given a chance, several in fact, but refused. I will be doing something about the photo and you. My legal advisors know plenty about the law. And we will be doing something about it and you.
Alasdair,
As for emailing “Paul” *, he returns my emails unopened and unread, so he says and responds by giving phone numbers. I did phone him a couple of months ago but refused to talk to me wanting to talk to my parent.
Please remember not all is what it seems and Paul is not all what he portrays himself as. A loving parent? Remember the facts impartially. I do not and never have lived in England or Australia or the other places he chose to go. He chose to go there. Never once has he went to court to gain access, if he says Mum stopped him seeing us.
I am not the person who owed him a duty of care. He chose to have children. Those children in the photo he pathetically displays and wants more of. We get in life what we put in.
This probably wont be here in full format because he likes to manipulate facts to make himself look okay. If it is edited, shame on you, hiding from my truth.
Reply to inaccuracies and expect a letter. Or maybe you should leave it there to remind everyone of the children you left years ago and let them see I am now 16.
How old were we when you came and saw us last, not including the time you demanded at short notice to see us on xmas day. When you actually saw us and did it properly? Well? Can you remember that long ago?
May 21, 2006, 10:34 amLibertus says:
Jessica,
I no longer recognise the person in the photograph. Do you?
You may speak your truth as often as you wish. You have done so here many times. Perhaps the way you say your truth is what puts people off. It certainly puts me off. You make truth as much fun as stepping in dogshit.
May 21, 2006, 11:17 amPaul M says:
Libertus,
Would you please edit Jessica’s comments to make them easier to read? I would like to reply with quotations, but the blog software must have mangled them.
May 21, 2006, 11:31 amLibertus says:
Paul,
With pleasure, and done!
Unfortunately, the rules prevent me disturbing the incoherence in her last comment. You’ll have to work out what she means and who she is talking to.
May 21, 2006, 12:18 pmPaul M says:
Jessica,
Am I the kind of person low enough to resort to legal threat before polite discussion? No.
Do you have to get legal representation to make me remove the picture? No. You already have that and it doesn’t work. You need a lot more than legal representation to make people do things. Or a lot less, if you’re smart.
Was the picture posted to cause deliberate embarrassment and hurt? No.
Your other questions all appear to be to Alasdair. I’ll leave him to answer those as he sees fit.
I bet this is the most interesting birthday card you’ve ever had that didn’t contain money. What did you do for your birthday anyway? Got any party pictures you’d like to share?
May 21, 2006, 7:14 pmAli says:
Hi Jessica,
The problem with your very first comment was that you did not say please. This is common courtesy regardless of the person you are dealing with. I am not in the business of getting in between you and Paul, but in this case I am trying to help you. As a matter of fact, quite alot of your posts come across as childish rants. I’m not saying that you do not feel justified in what you are saying, it is a matter of style.
You obviously want to talk to your dad or you wouldn’t be posting at all so why not try to have a civilised conversation? I have told you before that there are two sides to every story and until you have all the facts then you will not be in a position to understand completely. I know you are angry with Paul, but continuing to snipe at him will not get you to where you want to be.
I’ve never, as far as I know, talked down to you, I’ve always treated you as an adult so you can be sure that anything I say to you is intended to help you and not patronise you. But you need to understand that the grown up world has rules and as a citizen of that world, you need to adhere to them, even when others do not. I know you understand what I’m telling you.
I’m sure you are a good and decent person, because I know your mum and I’m sure that is how she brought you up, but you also have a lot of Paul in you as well and I can hear alot of his nature in the tone of your posts. You might not like to hear that, but it’s true non the less.
So again, in order to get Paul to remove the picture, you only have to say please. Simple common courtesy. It matter not a jot whether you think that it is deserved or not, your mum brought you up to be polite I am sure, so why not honour her by showing it.
Take care,
Ali…………………
May 21, 2006, 7:41 pmAli says:
Paul,
The stunt with editing the picture is childish and beneath you. If you want to set a good example for Jessica then this is not the way to do it. You should resore the picture as it was before.
Jessica,
As you’ll see from this comment, I only stick up for Paul, when I feel it warranted, in this case It’s not. To the best of my knowledge, I’ve never cracked jokes at your personal expense and if you feel that I have then give me examples and we can discuss them.
May 21, 2006, 7:51 pmLibertus says:
Ali,
I moderated a disputed image. It’s my job.
May 21, 2006, 7:52 pmAli says:
It’s just going to piss her off more, clean it up Libertus, or I’ll set Paul on you and that will not be pretty…..
May 21, 2006, 8:18 pmPaul M says:
Libertus,
Please delete images/jessica-and-christopher.jpeg and move our conversation to a draft post entitled “Printing With Style”.
May 21, 2006, 9:29 pmPaul M says:
Jessica,
I’m sorry, I missed a question.
There is nothing impolite about your first comment. It is a demand followed by an untrue statement.
May 21, 2006, 9:43 pm