Single mother jailed after paying for friend's son to take DNA test in bid to cut ex-lover out of her boy's life



When lawyers unpicked plot, she still brought friend's son to court pretending he was hers

A young mother was so desperate to cut her former boyfriend out of their son’s life that she lied to a court about his paternity and arranged for a friend’s son to take a DNA test.

Amie Burn, 20, tried to stop Glen Johnson from having any contact with their child who was born after they split up.

She then breached a contact order imposed by a court and, when she was hauled back before the judge, she claimed the boy wasn’t Mr Johnson’s.



Caught out: Amie Burn, left, and Claire Hardy, right, were jailed after their conspiracy to pervert the course of justice dramatically unravelled

Burn was told she and her son would have to take a DNA test which is when she hatched her plot.

She paid a friend £100 to pose as her at the test and the friend took along her own child to pose as Burn’s, so there would be no DNA link to Mr Johnson.



The plot was only uncovered when Mr Johnson spotted a photograph in the file from the lab and pointed out it wasn’t his son.

Even then Burns, of Lumbertubs, Northampton, then tried to cover her deception by bringing her friend’s son to court and pretending he was hers.

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The shocked judge sitting at the family court described what she had done as ‘about the most significant contempt of court as can be imagined in a case of this sort’.

Burn has now been jailed for nine months after admitting conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and perjury.

Her friend, Claire Hardy, 22, of Northampton, also admitted the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to 15 weeks.

Burn and Mr Johnson met and started having a relationship in late 2006. They remained together until around September 2007 but never lived together.

In December that year, Burn told her ex she was pregnant and that the child was his.



The boy, who is now three and cannot be named for legal reasons, was born in April 2008 and Mr Johnson was informed two days later.

Prosecutor Michael Waterfield told Northampton Crown Court: ‘He was not often allowed to see him and so he applied to the county court for a contact order.



'Burn and her family made it clear they were very hostile to that application. [Family court] Judge Stephen Waine made a contact order and ordered the boy not to be taken out of the country.

‘Burn allowed contact for a while but then breached the order. There was a further hearing in March 2010 at which Burn said her son was not Mr Johnson’s child. On that occasion, Judge Christopher Metcalf ordered the DNA test.’

Judge Richard Bray told Burn: ‘This was deliberate, planned, persistent fraud and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

‘The effect on the rights of the father to see his child and for the child to know his father could have been devastating.’



Both children are understood to be in the care of their families while their mothers serve their jail terms.

At his home in Northampton yesterday, 21-year-old Mr Johnson said he was satisfied that the women had gone to prison.

‘I can’t imagine what it would be like if I could not see my son and I am pleased I will be a part of his life,’ he added.

‘This should be a lesson to other parents. I saw the picture on the file and immediately knew it wasn’t my son. The sentences are a good result.’

