A new mum has been sent to prison for lying about who the father of her baby is on the birth certificate.
Louise Boyce pretended her new boyfriend was her child’s father instead of the biological father, her former lover, Ashley Sayce.
A court heard how the 30-year-old ‘acted out of spite’ by purposely leaving Sayce off the birth certificate after the pair went through a bitter break up.
Boyce is said to have taken her new boyfriend Nathan Leggatt with her to fill out the birth certificate, falsely declaring to officials that he was the biological father.
The court heard how Leggatt,34, played the part, even breaking down in tears while signing and telling staff, ‘it’s a bit emotional to register the baby’s birth.’
However, their lies were exposed when social services became involved and a paternity test proved that Sayce was the true biological father of the child.
Boyce and Leggatt, who both hail from Manselton in Swansea, Wales, were arrested and admitted wilfully giving false information regarding a registration of a birth.
Defending Boyce, David Singh said she had ‘acted out of spite’ towards her ex partner, Sayce, with a ‘desire’ for Leggatt to be the baby’s father.
Andrew Evans, defending Leggatt, said he ‘had a genuine desire’ to play an active role in looking after the baby and looking out for the child’s welfare.
Boyce, who is pregnant with her second child, was sentenced to eight months and her partner Leggatt was jailed for six months at Swansea Crown Court.
In the UK, if someone who is not the biological father signs the birth certificate, it is considered to be paternity fraud. When a man signs the certificate, he’s claiming to be the legal and biological father of the child, which means he’s agreeing to paternity and the legal responsibility of being a father, which can mean having to pay child support.
Therefore, if the man is the biological father or not, if he’s signed the certificate then he is legally the father, with all the obligations that come with it.
It’s important to note that a mother who mistakenly names a father who later turns out not to be the biological father, this is not paternity fraud.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via story@unilad.com
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.