A statement by nine-year-old Sean Goldman to a psychologist has become fodder in the ongoing quest by his biological father to repatriate the boy to his former home in Tinton Falls.
As part of a custody-related examination, Sean told a psychologist on Monday that he wants to stay with his stepfamily in Brazil rather than return to the U.S. with David Goldman, his biological father, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The statement appeared in a transcript of the session that was released yesterday by lawyers for Sean’s stepfather, Joao Paulo Lins e Silva.
In it, Sean tells the psychologist that if he is sent back to New Jersey to be with David Goldman he will “break down totally.”
“I want to stay here in Brazil,” the 9-year-old repeats in the interview.
When asked to draw a picture of his family, the boy drew only his stepfather, sister and Brazilian grandparents, the AP reports.
David Goldman’s reaction:
“The psychological damage that has been inflicted on my son is finally out in the open.”
“There’s no words to describe the anxiety and the pain that I feel from that,” he said.
The AP reports that it wasn’t immediately clear who paid for the psychologist’s services.
