THE sons of a man jailed for sending one of them a birthday message on Facebook have condemned the ruling as "cruel and ludicrous".
Garry Johnson, 46, was sentenced to 28 days behind bars at HMP Chelmsford last month for breaching a court order which prevented him from publicly naming his son Sam after simply wishing him a happy birthday for his 21st.
The order follows an acrimonious divorce eight years ago in which a judge imposed the gagging order on the dad to prevent him from discussing the case publicly.
But sons Adam and Sam – who are not subject to the same order – are outraged at the court's decision to silence their loving father.
"My dad is a good father and has never been in trouble with the police. He was treated like a criminal. This ludicrous gagging order should not exist and must now be lifted," said Sam Johnson, a telesales manager and former professional footballer.
"Both Adam and myself are adults. This cruel ruling is now hanging over my father to silence him about the sons he loves for the rest of his life. That is a terrible thing in what is meant to be a free country."
The life-long order prevents Mr Johnson from mentioning his relationship with either of the boys, now 18 and 21, at any point in the future, even to congratulate them via an announcement in a newspaper or on social media.
Following the divorce both sons chose to live with their father despite allegations that Mr Johnson was neglectful, and failed to feed them properly – accusations that proved to be unfounded.
In late April Mr Johnson, who lives near Laindon, received a letter from Chelmsford County Court officials summoning him to appear at Basildon Magistrates.
According to his sons the 46-year-old was escorted to the hearing by security guards with no warning he might need a lawyer, or face imprisonment, when His Honour Judge Damien Lochrane handed down the sentence.
Basildon and Billericay MP, John Baron, said: "I have helped Mr Johnson and his sons – who always wanted to live with him – over several years.
"To find he has been imprisoned for sending a birthday message to one of them is troubling.
"Whilst I appreciate the need to protect children, the family court system often ignores the legitimate wishes of families. This needs to change, and quickly."
Although Mr Johnson has now been released from HMP Chelmsford his sons have spoken out to build awareness over decisions taken out of the public eye in family courts.
