Man wins 'paternity deceit' damages

A judge in London ruled that the woman, now 46, had made "fraudulent representations" to him over the paternity of the child.

Sir John Blofeld awarded the 63-year-old former stockbroker just over £22,400 - which included £7,500 to compensate him for the distress he suffered when he discovered the boy was not his.

The man at the centre of the case - who said that finding out he was not the biological father when the child was five broke his heart and caused him to be "eaten by despair" - had sued the woman for around £100,000.

But the judge rejected parts of his claim for the return of sums paid out for the boy during their "loving" relationship, including £37,000 nursery fees.

Both the woman and her former partner, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were present in court sitting just feet apart as the judge delivered his ruling.

Sir John, who heard evidence from both parties during the contested case, said he rejected the evidence of the woman, known as B, and accepted that of the man, who can only be referred to as A.

He said: "Having accepted A's evidence and rejected B's I have no difficulty in finding that representations were made on a large number of occasions and were untrue and when they were made they were fraudulent."