Shropshire man in DNA con to avoid paying child maintenance
A Shropshire bar manager provided a fake DNA sample to avoid shelling out more than £25,000 in child maintenance payments for his daughter, a court heard.
Matthew Wall said he had got a "bloke from the pub" to provide the sample he sent off to the Child Support Agency in a bid to con them into thinking he was not the father.
But when the girl's mother told the authorities they had already done a privately-arranged DNA test in which it was confirmed Wall was the father, another "on the spot" test was ordered. This one confirmed Wall was the baby's father – and that he had not provided the first sample, Shrewsbury Crown Court was told.
Wall, 27, of Edgmond, near Newport, admitted conspiracy to defraud at a previous court hearing and appeared at Shrewsbury yesterday to be sentenced.
Mr William Dudley, prosecuting, said the mother had made the application for payments in September 2013 for their daughter, who was born in May 2012.
He said the amount of loss from non-payments worked out to £25,231.
Mr Steven Scully, for Wall, said his client had expected doctors to carry out the first test "there and then" and had been presented with a moral dilemma when he was allowed to take it away.
"As part of an alcohol-fuelled conversation he took the foolish decision to get somebody else to take the test for him," Mr Scully told the court.
"It started the chain of events which leads him here before the court and the loss of his good character."
Mr Scully said Wall was now making weekly payments and was "disgusted" by his own behaviour.
He said he worked as a bar manager, was well thought of at work and in line for a promotion to general manager.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months.
Sentencing Wall, Recorder Nigel Daly said: "Before this you were a man of good character. You have now lost that. You have shown remorse for your behaviour and it seems you have now accepted responsibility for your daughter.
"You are well thought of and due for promotion – other than this you are a responsible, hard-working man with no previous convictions."
Wall was also ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £535 costs.
