Judge Prevents Woman From Giving Her Daughter a Terrible Name

A judge in the U.K. saved a baby from a lifetime of ridicule when he prevented her mother from giving her a terrible name.

According to Metro, a mother in the United Kingdom took the idea of giving her children unique names a bit too far when she decided to give one of her newborn twins the moniker Cyanide. Social workers took issue with the strange name and decided to take the case to court.

During the hearing, the unnamed mother, who chose the name Preacher for the girl’s twin brother, argued that the name was a “lovely, pretty name,” claiming that it also had positive connotations because cyanide was the poison that killed Hitler and fellow Nazi Joseph Goebbels.

However, Appeal Court judges ruled that the mother’s choice in names could lead to emotional harm in the future. A judge issued an injunction to prevent the mother, who reportedly has a history of mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse, from formally registering the twins’ unusual names.

“This is one of those rare cases where the court should intervene to protect the girl twin from emotional harm that I am satisfied she would suffer if called ‘Cyanide,’” a judge said.

While Preacher isn’t as bad as Cyanide, the name was still prevented from being used, the judge ruling that the twins’ names should be chosen by their half-siblings. Currently, the twins, who are eight-months-old, are referred to as Harrie and Annie by their foster parents.