The smoky bar of a Shropshire hotel was an unlikely
venue in which to plot the dramatic storming of Buckingham Palace. But it was at
the Stretton Hall Hotel that Jason Hatch and his colleagues from Fathers 4
Justice planned the stunt which embarrassed police and palace officials and
called into question security arrangements.
What happened at that summit, however, throws into question the character and
motives of men like Hatch.
According to reports today last Saturday night's meeting degenerated into
foul-mouthed drunken boasting, with Hatch bragging about his sexual conquests.
Reporters from the Mirror newspaper who watched the
meeting said that Hatch declared: "I just love f****** women. I've had more
than 100 one-night-stands in the past five years," Hatch said. "They
are all bitches."
At one stage Hatch, 33, claimed to have fathered five children with different
women and when asked by one of two women present whether he wore condoms he
replied: "What are they?"
The men all expressed bitterness they had been denied the right to see their
children by courts and their former spouses. Hatch calls it a "living
bereavement."
But the story of his divorce is not as clear cut as it first appears. The
self-employed builder was subsequently convicted of harassing his ex-wife,
Victoria Jones, mother of his five-year-old boy and four-year-old girl.
He was given a 12-month conditional discharge, though charges of making
threats to kill Miss Jones and her mother Susan Beacham were ordered to lie on
file. During the trial Gloucester Crown Court heard Hatch legally owned a number
of weapons.
Miss Jones had moved the children out of the marital home and, Hatch says,
refused to let him see them.
After the criminal case he applied to the courts to see the children every
weekend and half the school holidays. After 18 months he was granted one
supervised visit every three months - though he managed to get this increased to
every three weeks.
"My life is on hold until I can see my children properly," he said.
"I'll do whatever it takes to see my children."
Hatch, from Cheltenham, was born Jason Mark Tunnicliff, but changed his name
to protect his children's identity. He has however gone out of his way to court
publicity.
Two months ago he was part of a group which stormed a General Synod service
at York Minster while dressed as vicars, nuns and monks. Hatch, dressed in
Cardinal's robes, scaled scaffolding on the building.
In February, dressed as Batman, he joined Robin, Superman and Spiderman on
the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. They came down after a radio station
donated ?200 to charity.
Last month he climbed on to scaffolding outside Birmingham County Court and
also took part in a rooftop protest at Gloucester County Court.
Dave Pyke - Robin to Hatch's Batman - sees his 10-year old daughter and
seven-year-old son every weekend but is demanding greater access.
In particular the unemployed 48-yearold from Cheltenham wants to look after
them on their own - which he did until the courts intervened.
He joined Fathers 4 Justice earlier this year determined to overturn the
order by holding protests at crown courts throughout the country, joining Hatch
on the roof of Gloucester County Court and on Bristol's Clifton Suspension
Bridge.
Banners, air-horns and climbing equipment had been seized from his home by
detectives while he was in police custody.