Legal News
Footballer Fails to Pay Child Maintenance to Fix His Ferrari (8 September 2011)
Date: 08/09/2011
A professional footballer on an income of £4,000 per week failed to pay child maintenance as he claimed he needed the money to fix his Ferrari. The anonymous sportsman’s claims were among the many released by the Child Support Agency (CSA) to draw attention to the attempts some parents made to avoid paying child maintenance. Another father claimed that he was unable to pay child support as he “had to take his ostrich to the vet”. The CSA claims that hundreds of parents had claimed that their dog had eaten wage slips and CSA letters as an excuse not to pay child support.
One father who had undergone a sex-change operation claimed that she should not be required to pay child maintenance, as she was no longer a man. One man claimed that “he did not exist anymore” because he was listed “on the witness protection programme”. One father residing in North West England avoided making child support payments for 16 years. He eventually produced a cheque for £70,000 following threats from the CSA to seize his home.
Maria Miller, the Work and Pensions Minister, said that while the majority of parents are responsible, there are still few who will go to often extreme attempts to avoid paying child maintenance. She states that system reforms will ensure that those who refuse to co-operate are tracked down.
Duncan Lewis’ team of highly specialised childcare law solicitors specialise in all aspects of childcare law. The team pride themselves on supporting parents and providing them with the empowerment they require.