ABSTRACT
You have been instructed by Herbert Cooke, who has come to see you with a divorce petition he has just received in the post. The petition states that his wife is seeking a divorce based on Mr Cooke’s unreasonable behaviour over a period of several years, citing emotional neglect and financial irresponsibility, as well as incidents of drunkenness, prolonged absences from home. More recently, the petition states, that there has also been threatening behaviour, such as raising his hand at her, and verbal abuse, which has included accusing Mrs Cooke of sleeping with other men. Mr Cooke is deeply distressed and outraged at the contents of the petition, as he was not really aware that there were problems in his marriage. He is a practising Catholic who believes that marriage is for life, and he tells you that the allegations are entirely false, but that he suspects his wife has been seeing another man and wants to ‘get rid of her husband’. He wishes to fight the divorce.
