Is it possible to cheat your way through a DNA paternity test? A man from Birmingham UK recently tried to do just that in order to avoid paying child maintenance to his ex-partner. He was caught and given a 6-month prison sentence for conspiracy to defraud, as reported by the Birmingham Mail.
Mohammed Ryaz Khan and his then-partner had a daughter back in 2010. The relationship broke down in 2016 and Mr Khan was left paying £12.96 a week child in maintenance. Unhappy with the arrangement, he accused his ex-partner of being unfaithful and claimed that the child wasn't his. A paternity test was arranged to verify whether or not he was in fact the biological father.
Conspiracy to commit fraud
In a move that was described as 'spiteful' by Birmingham Crown Court, Mr Khan sent his older brother in his place to take the DNA test. His brother looked similar enough to fool the testing staff, even when he presented photographic ID. The test unsurprisingly came back as negative, excluding Mr Khan as the biological father, and the child maintenance payments were stopped.
The plan seemed to have worked, at least initially, until the child's mother disputed the findings and an investigation was launched. In November 2018 a speculative test on the national DNA database confirmed that the sample belonged to the brother.
Mohammed Ryaz Khan admitted conspiracy to defraud in 2018 and was jailed for six months. His brother, Mohammed Ayaz Khan, pleaded guilty and was given a 12 month community order.
The sentencing Judge Heidi Kubic QC said: "It was a mean spirited and spiteful offence which was calculated to cause upset and distress to your ex-partner and involved the rejection of your own daughter who had lived and trusted and relied on you for six years when you lived with her mother after her birth. Your actions in rejecting your own child are inexcusable."
Can you fool a DNA test?
Not without committing fraud! If the correct people are tested, a paternity test is over 99.99% accurate. An ISO-accredited laboratory is able to provide legal DNA testing that will hold up in court.