Woman sentenced for faking paternity tests

A woman has been sentenced after pleading guilty to fraud for deceiving her ex-partner that he was the father of her unborn child for financial gain.

Beth Fernley from Wroxham Road, Warrington pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at an earlier hearing. She appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday 15 April and was given 13 months in prison suspended for 18 months.

She must complete up to 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days as well as 200 hours of unpaid work.

She also has to pay £300 the victim in compensation.

The two had previously been in a relationship but this had broken down in January 2019 as he suspected she was cheating on him.

The 26-year-old got back in touch in March 2019 saying she was pregnant, and the other man was the father. She then re-contacted him in April and said she had got her dates wrong and he was the father.

He asked her for a paternity test and she organised this at a cost of £300. However, the test never took place and she instead forged documents to show that he was 99.9% positive as the child’s father.

They rekindled their relationship and he put a deposit on a house for them to live together as a family. He paid the bills and the mortgage which Fernley did not contribute to.

She put his name on the birth certificate and they continued to live as a family until April 2022 when Fernley produced another fake document saying that there was a lab error and he wasn’t the father.

The victim became suspicious and arranged for another paternity test which confirmed he wasn’t the father. Another test was done which proved the other man was the father.

DC Josh Darby said:

“This isn’t just about money, the deceit had real and devastating emotional consequences which are enduring for both the victim and his family.

“For two years the joy, love and bond of a loving father and grandmother was so strong that the impact of the deceit and betrayal was truly profound.

“To go to these lengths for financial gain is cruel and calculating. It has left a family grieving and trying to pick up the pieces, while enduring deep sorrow that what they thought was a joyful reality was in fact a wicked lie.”