Boy can have two fathers, judge rules in landmark ruling

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

In today's case, the country's most senior family court judge, Sir Mark Potter, decided that a man who brought up the boy believing him to be his own child was entitled to parental rights - even though he has turned out not be the father.

The ruling means that the child now effectively has two fathers and that the person who raised him, referred to only as Mr A, has the same rights as the boy's biological parent.

The ruling means there is 'no limit' to the number of parents a child can have, creating the potential for a family unit like that in '80s sitcom My Two Dads

The decision came despite an appeal by the boy's mother for Mr A to be refused parental rights because of his allegedly 'officious and controlling manner' and was taken after Sir Mark accepted that the man had a 'genuine and legitimate' right to continue raising the child.

In what appears likely to set a benchmark for future cases, the judge added that it was possible for a child to have any number of parents and that parental rights should be determined both by the role a person played in a child's life and by biology.

'There is no limit upon the number of persons who may have parental responsibility for the same child at the same time,' Sir Mark, the President of the Family Division, said.

The boy was born in 2002 soon after the couple formed their relationship. It was only after the pair broke up in 2004 that the mother told him that the boy, then aged two, might not be his.