A DAD from Basingstoke who was tricked by his ex-partner with a fake DNA test claiming his daughter was not his hopes to raise awareness so others don’t suffer the same agony.

Michael Brown, 45, said his ex-partner Laura Jackson emailed him false DNA results she bought online for £45 from Hunts Genetics, informing him that his daughter was not his.

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The dad, who has five other children, split up with the mother of his child before she was born in May 2018.

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He said: “We were together for two years on and off. It was turbulent. It was a short-term relationship and we probably weren’t right for each other.”

However, he wanted to be in his daughter’s life. Michael said he went through a difficult custody battle with his ex to see her.

But in March 2019 the dad, who works as a test engineer, said he received an email from Laura with the DNA report attached.

“It was awful. I was so torn. I kind of didn’t believe it but it looked genuine. I couldn’t understand it but couldn’t believe she could fabricate this,” he said, adding: “I knew straight away that I wasn’t going to see my daughter for some time.”

The DNA report, which appeared to come from a professional genetics company, gave a 99.99996 per cent rate of probability that another man, named on the report as Callum Jack, was the father of the child.

Michael said he had never heard of this man.

He said: “I thought ‘I have to tell my children’. We have fought so hard for regular access and my other children would come over and visit regularly each week and expect to see their baby sister and be excited about that. It was awful for us all.”

However, Michael had his suspicions about the report and raised the matter in a family court, which requested a paternity test be carried out.

Recalling the wait for the results to come back, Michael said: “I was nervous. I sort of knew she was mine but at the same time I didn’t know 100 per cent so it was playing on my mind constantly and the impact it would have on my other children as well.”

The test came back proving that Michael was in fact the real father.

He later discovered that his ex partner had paid £45 for the fake report, making up the fictional name Callum Jack.

When he learned what she had done, Michael said he felt “mixed emotions” adding: “I was very glad she was mine and my children still had their sister.”

He added: “It’s shocking to find that you can just enter the names of the people you want on the report and have that within an hour, potentially denying a child of their parent. It’s denying them knowledge of their parents. It’s so easy and makes it too tempting for some people. It’s so immoral. There must be others who have the same.”

Police investigated the matter which was brought to Winchester Crown Court in February this year.

Laura Jackson, of Malthouse Lane, Tadley pleaded guilty to two counts of committing an act or series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice – namely giving a false account in a police interview and giving a false account under oath.

The 31-year-old mum was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Hampshire Constabulary said: “We investigated an allegation of perverting the course of justice following a report made in August 2019. A 30-year-old woman attended a voluntary police interview in April 2021.

"Laura Jackson, 30, of Malthouse Lane, Tadley, was later charged with two counts of committing an act or series or acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice.”

When he heard his ex would serve a prison sentence for the crime, Michael said: “There has to be consequences. I thought it was about right. It sends out the message this can’t be condoned. It’s very sad though.”

Michael is now looking after his three-year-old daughter and said she is “doing well”.

He hopes to raise awareness of the use of fake DNA tests and said: “My advice would be if you’ve received a DNA test and haven’t been directly involved in administering that then you can’t 100 per cent trust it. If you have any concern yourself you must be directly involved in the administration.

“It’s sad that people take these things in good faith and think they have no reason to doubt someone.”

He now hopes to communicate with the mother of his daughter when she is out of prison and said: “I just want my daughter to be happy and stable and I want her to have a good relationship with her mother.”

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