A firefighter got his mate to take a DNA test on his behalf to avoid paying a £16,000 ($20.6k) child maintenance bill.

Simon Jordan, 33, was told he had to pay the amount to a nurse who said he was the father of her child.

Jordan, from Oldbury Wells in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, gave his photo ID to his friend Jason Lee Coles, 40, and asked him to give a DNA sample so Jordan did not appear to be the father.

Simon Jordan owed £16,000 in CSA payments. Credit: Cascade News

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The test came back negative, but the mother of the child was 'adamant' that he was the father, leading the Child Support Agency (CSA) to launch an investigation into the test.

Both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud against the woman between 20 July and 24 August 2017, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.

Payments went back to April 2016, when the nurse had first applied to the CSA, but Jordan had not paid 'a penny'.

He then admitted that the child is in fact his, and was jailed for 12 months. He was also handed an 18 month suspended sentence and will have to do 200 hours of unpaid work.

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His friend Coles faces six months in prison and suspension for 12 months with 200 hours of community service, as reported by Shropshire Star.

Jason Lee Coles did not play a 'leading' role in the case. Credit: Cascade News

Judge Peter Barrie said: "People must take responsibility, for the outcome is a child is conceived whatever the circumstances might be.

"If you now accept that you are the father - then this offence was an attempt to avoid paying by deceiving the child support authorities by providing a test that would not support your paternity.

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"You knew full well that a test that would support your paternity would result in support payments.

"This was clearly financially motivated and an attempt to derail support of a child. You did it by persuading your friend Jason Coles to take the test for you. It is clear that the two of you were making arrangements together.

"It's only you who benefits. You influenced him to make it happen."

Mr Andrew Holland, mitigating for Jordan, of Oldbury Wells, Bridgnorth, said: "He has seen the complainant in this matter over the years and there was no mention of a child. It therefore came like a bolt out of the blue when the CSA contacted him to make arrangements for a DNA test.

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"He accepts it was an utterly foolish thing to get his friend to take the test for him."