A cheating mum spun a web of lies to deceive her partner into believing that another man's child was his own. Beth Fernley "played God" by falsifying DNA test results, which incorrectly stated that her partner was the baby's father. For years, he lived under the false assumption that he was the little girl's biological father until Fernley finally revealed her heartless deception, causing his "entire world to fall apart".

A judge informed her that she "could not have complained" if she had been sentenced to prison, but ultimately spared her due to her parental responsibilities. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that Fernley, a 26-year-old from Wroxham Road in Great Sankey, Warrington, was in a relationship with Ryan Hampson from 2015 to January 2019. In March 2019, two months after their breakup, Fernley told her ex-partner that she was pregnant and claimed that a man named Dominic Hensey was the unborn child's father.

However, prosecutor Gareth Roberts explained that she later contacted Hampson again, stating that she was "unclear" about the father's identity. Fernley then claimed to have taken a paternity test with EasyDNA, which supposedly showed a "zero percent chance" that Mr Hensey was the father.

The accused then sent Mr Hampson a screenshot claiming there was a "99.9% probability" that he was the father. He subsequently transferred £300 into her account to contribute towards the alleged DNA tests and purchased items for the expected baby, reports Liverpool Echo.

The 27 year old also stood by Fernley, even attending the child's birth in September 2019, with his name initially being added to the girl's birth certificate. The couple later rekindled their relationship and bought a house together.

However, in April 2021, Fernley gave Mr Hampson another letter, allegedly from EasyDNA, stating there had been an error during the testing process. She then confessed to infidelity during their relationship and suggested that Mr Hensey could be the father.

Subsequent tests confirmed that Mr Hampson was not the child's father. EasyDNA also verified that all previous documents bearing its name were fraudulent, seemingly downloaded from the internet and altered.

Fernley is also reported to have contacted Mr Hensey, confessing to having procured fake DNA tests in 2019 and declaring him as the biological father. Mr Hampson reported the matter to the police in July 2022, leading to his ex-girlfriend's arrest in August 2023, where she continued to claim that the documentation from EasyDNA was authentic.

Dressed in a grey suit paired with a white shirt and purple tie, he delivered a heartfelt statement from the witness box, saying: "For many years, I trusted someone deeply and believed in the relationship we built together. I formed a strong bond with the child who I was led to believe was my daughter.

"To find out that I was not her biological father felt like a betrayal. It tore apart everything I had come to believe in. It left me feeling grief, confusion and heartbreak. I was consumed by feelings of embarrassment and despair. I felt like a fool.

"This sense of violation and disbelief was so intense that I struggled with suicidal thoughts. My entire world fell apart. The emotional toll of this experience has left me with severe anxiety, panic attacks and nightmares. I relive these painful memories each night.

"Without the support of my family and friends, I genuinely believe I wouldn't be here today. They have been my lifeline. I continue to rely on them every day to cope. Despite their support, I often struggle with feelings of isolation and doubt.

"The thought of seeing [child's name] in public fills me with dread as I grieve for a child that is no longer in my life. The emotional pain of people asking me about my daughter is unbearable. It brings the grief and sadness back.

"The experience made me doubt whether I could ever be a father. The idea of being told I will become a father again is deeply unsettling. I'm unsure if I will ever be able to handle that situation. The thought of fatherhood now feels like a burden rather than a joy.

"Despite the overwhelming challenges I've faced, I've found the strength to fight through the justice system to seek the answers that I desperately need. The trauma I've experienced is not something I would wish on my worst enemy."

Thomas Worsfold, defending, said of the mother in court: "She has demonstrated that she accepts responsibility for everything that she has done following the end of this relationship. She has demonstrated that she accepts that it was wrong of her, in her own words, to play God."

He added: "It is right to note that, when the offending occurred, she was just 20 years old. She is before the court, now, as a 26-year-old. There are areas of immaturity and deficiencies in consequential thinking, areas where support can be provided to her."

Worsfold further described her as: "She is, aside from this matter, of good character. References speak of the positive elements of her character, a strong work ethic and being a good mother in difficult circumstances."

Fernley, facing charges of fraud by false representation after initially attempting to get them dismissed—which she later did not follow through with—appeared in court wearing an olive coat over a grey dress, dabbing away a tear as she was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

Sentencing, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said of the charge of fraud: "The label of that offence does not reveal by itself the particularly dreadful nature of the offence you have committed. You initially represented to your partner that he was the father of your unborn child, and when the child arrived he believed that he was the father and did so for a period of two years or more.

"You admitted this offence eventually, but, until that point, you had, in large measure, lied to everybody about all of this. This was a particularly dreadful offence which has had a profound effect on many people, including, most of all, Mr Hampson, but also members of his extended family who believed that they were grandparents, aunties or uncles.

"Your offence has potentially had an effect on your child, because, of course, there will have been a time when she believed that someone else was her father. Whether this began out of some sense of apprehension because you found yourself pregnant with someone who was not your partner or because you were keen to create some sort of perfect family, it is hard for me to understand."

The judge addressed her deceit in court, stating: "For no good reason, you set about a course of action involving repeated dishonest and deceit. You knew that Mr Hampson was not the father of your child, yet you set about creating fictitious DNA results pretending that he was the father of the child."

The judge continued, highlighting the emotional toll on Mr Hampson: "He, responsibly, stepped up, because he was keen to provide a loving and secure family for [child's name]. This must have been devastating to him when he discovered that the whole thing was fictitious. When the police became involved, you lied repeatedly. When you came to this court, you lied."

Acknowledging the child caught in the middle, the judge remarked: "There is a child in the middle of all of this. You are and remain her mother. She has her own particular challenges which have been identified and will result in continuing struggles for her."

He added: "You could not have complained today if I had sent you immediately to prison. Many people would believe that is what you deserve. Fundamentally, you have principal responsibility for a young child with her own particular challenges. Therefore, it would be wrong for me to send you immediately into custody today, principally for that reason.

"It may well be that, in all other respects, you are a perfectly decent person. But you ought not to ignore the damage that you have caused. You have a good deal of work to do to put things right in the future. I hope that, some day, all of this can be put behind you and the other people who have been affected by this offence."

In addition to the stern words from the judge, Fernley was ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work and partake in up to 10 days of rehabilitation activities. She must also compensate with a payment of £300.