A tip of the hat to Toy Soldier for this.
This form of paternity fraud is very common, and some have suggested more than 50% of conceptions result from women frustrating contraceptive methods, or lying about using them, as in this case.
Another form of paternity fraud, allowing or encouraging a man to assume or believe he’s the father of a child when he’s not, is a crime under the Fraud Act 2006. The Crown has never prosecuted a woman for this form of paternity fraud (or the other form, above) and only a few private prosecutions brought by men – on the grounds of emotional distress – have been successful. The amount of financial contributions a man has made towards his wife, and the children who aren’t biologically his, cannot be taken into account, and settlements are rarely over £20,000.
We covered the issue of paternity fraud in our 2015 general election manifesto (pp.52-4).
If everyone who read this gave us just £1 – or even better, £1 monthly – we could change the world. Click here to make a difference. Thanks.