The Sunday Telegraph

July 9, 2000

"SOMEONE must write this story," the letter began.

What followed was an extra- ordinary tale of a man who, for years, has been charged to support three children - although he had only one.

After eight years of paying maintenance, John Jackson* discovered two of the three children he watched born during his four year marriage were, in fact, fathered by other men.

The proof is in lab tests which show "the exclusion of Mr. Jackson as father of his two youngest children “is considered 100 per cent.”

Other evidence suggests his ex wife knew with certainty her middle child was fathered by another man and did not believe her husband was the father of the youngest child.

Mr. Jackson says he was forced into having his children DNA tested because he was being bled dry. At one point, because of a Child Support Agency error, he was paying out $550 and left $260 a fortnight to live on.

“I never objected to paying maintenance, but if got to the stage where I just couldn't live,” Mr. Jackson said. “I still had the kids every second weekend and I couldn’t t even afford to take them to Macca’s.”

Unable to secure legal aid resources, he represented himself in the Family Court two weeks ago. He knew what he needed to say, but when he faced the full bench of wigs and gowns he became tongue tied.

“What I really wanted to ask for was a refund,” Mr. Jackson told The Sunday Telegraph.

The judges dismissed his appeal against an earlier ruling that his ex wife did not have to pay for the paternity tests.

Nor would the courts order her to reveal the names of the men she had slept with at the time of conception of two of the couples three children.

"They just didn’t care that this woman, my ex-wife, has deliberately defrauded me, the Child Support Agency and Centrelink, and then used every trick in the book and the Family Court to try and prevent discovery, he said.

"I guess I’m lucky they didn't make me pay costs. She has used the system to crush me financially and emotionally and it's a rort.

"I tried to do the right thing by those kids and the courts and the system penalised me.

"I love those kids. In fact, I love them even more, because God knows if their real fathers ever will.

"But I have been driven too far. I made a big decision not to see the kids back in December last year until this was resolved somehow or other."

Mr. Jackson said the discovery that his two youngest children were the progeny of others was like a knife in his heart after all he had been through on their behalf.

The stress of trying to rebuild his life while the Child Support Agency extracted three quarters of his wage forced the public servant off work last year and he remains on sick leave.

He has been diagnosed as suffering major depression and anxiety by three psychiatrists, and is on medication

On top of this, the CSA now insists that, as of early this month, he owes a further disputed $39,679.

* Name changed as the man cannot be identified under Family Court Laws.

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