Woman deceived ex-partner that she had given birth to his babies, judge rules
A High Court judge has ruled on a case where a woman deceived her former partner into believing she had given birth to two children who did not exist. The woman admitted to the elaborate lie as a form of revenge following a relationship breakdown.
Why it matters
The case highlights extreme instances of domestic deception and the legal complexities involved in family court proceedings regarding non-existent children.
Image source, Getty Images Published 7 minutes ago By Helena Wilkinson , News correspondent and Henry Moore A woman convinced her former partner she had given birth to two children who most likely did not exist in what a High Court judge described as an "extraordinary" and "elaborate campaign of deceit".
The man, who has not been named but was referred to as John during the hearing, applied to the Family Court after he was told the woman had sold their two children for a combined £500.
The case heard that the man received messages and photos of the children and paid the woman around £30,000 over the course of two years.
But in a hearing in February, the woman, who was referred to as Jane, told the judge she had lied about the pregnancies for revenge, claiming the man had abused her.
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