Worst Dad Ever trying to skip out on child support sends lookalike to take paternity test
If only he'd put as much effort into purchasing birth control as he did this scheme: A British man has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud after he sent a lookalike to take a paternity test in order to get out of paying child support.
Thomas Kenny, 25, was already the father of one and expecting another with his longtime girlfriend when he had a "fling" with another woman, The Birmingham Mail reports. The woman became pregnant in 2012, and Kenny asked her to have an abortion, which she refused. After the baby was born, Kenny never paid child support, and was ordered to give a DNA sample — that's when, the Birmingham Crown Court says, he sent the dopplegänger, who has never been identified, to fool people.
The plot was discovered in June 2014, and Kenny — who continued to deny paternity — was arrested for fraud. Judge Philip Parker QC showed no sympathy for Kenny: "I know you are said to be the loving father of two children by your long-standing relationship, but this case shows you were prepared to disown a child of your own for financial gain. Morally you cannot sink lower than that." Kenny was sentenced to 6 months in prison, and has to pay £885 ($1,381) in compensation and £500 ($780) toward costs.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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