Mother faces jail for faking DNA test to stop baby seeing father

A 'spiteful' mother faces jail for faking her daughter's DNA test and lying on her newborn baby's birth certificate to stop the biological father seeing his children.

Georgina Saville edited a picture of a DNA test she found online to say her new boyfriend was actually the father of her newborn baby rather than her ex, Kyle Fitton.

The 25-year-old who has a Masters' degree in forensic psychology admitted the act to jurors but claimed it was 'obvious' it wasn't a real DNA test and had only done it to get his solicitor off her back.

However, jurors today concluded she had done so to try and 'de-rail' Mr Fitton's legal bid to see his children.

It was heard Saville, who already had another daughter with her 28-year-old ex, lied about the paternity of their newborn girl to 'deter' him and his solicitors from pursuing his court claim for access to both daughters.

When asked by Mr Fitton's solicitors to take a DNA test, she sent them bogus results trying to prove the newborn baby was actually the daughter of her new boyfriend, Danny Mellows.

Having originally left the father section of the birth certificate blank, she then went to the Registry Office and added Mr Mellows' name in - despite previously admitting her two girls were 'full blood sisters'.

Today, after a four-day trial at Southampton Crown Court, she was convicted of perverting the course of public justice and a rare charge of wilfully making a false declaration as to a birth.

Jurors took just two hours to deliberate before delivering the verdict.

Saville, from Southampton, cried silently in the dock as she was convicted.

Judge Peter Henry warned Saville she may face jail, telling the court that 'all options would be considered' at her sentencing in November.

Opening the case earlier this week, prosecutor Nick Tucker said the offences stemmed from an 'unhappy' and 'toxic' four-year relationship.

Saville and Mr Fitton welcomed their first baby daughter in March 2019, before things began to 'deteriorate'.

He said: 'It was in April 2021 that the defendant fell pregnant with [their second daughter] but shortly after that, Kyle moved out and went back to live with his mother.'

The court heard Saville still 'maintained a good relationship' with Mr Fitton's mother, Jayne, who accompanied her to pregnancy scans, mediated between the couple and would often exchange messages.

However, after the baby girl was born in January 2022, it was heard the relationship between Saville and Mr Fitton had soured and she did not 'permit' him to see the newborn.

As a result, she sent a text his mum saying: 'I'm sorry I just need to make sure [the girls] are treated fairly as they are full blood sisters.

'He can't be present in [one of their lives] but not in [the other]'s - it's not fair [one] having a dad and [the other] not.

'Therefore the only way it's fair is he is completely gone.'

Mr Tucker said by February 2022, Saville was 'very angry' at Mr Fitton, prompting her to leave the name of the father section blank on the birth certificate at the Registry Office.

The court heard Saville posted photos of the two girls and her new boyfriend 'as if they were a family' and had even been encouraging the older girl to call Mr Mellows 'daddy'.

In March 2022, Saville applied for a non-molestation order against Mr Fitton, who filed his own back at her.

He also started legal proceedings in the Family Court regarding access to his two children and getting his name added to the newborn's birth certificate.

The court heard his eligibility to apply for those orders 'depended upon him having parental responsibility' by being the biological father.

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Revealed: Text sent by 'spiteful' mother before 'faking a DNA test and lying on birth certificate'

Saville was asked to have her youngest daughter's DNA tested by Mr Fitton's solicitor after she claimed he was not the father and that her daughter had 'nothing to do with' him.

She eventually sent over what she said was the DNA test result and claimed Mr Mellows to be the father of her daughter.

Mr Tucker said she had 'misrepresented' the baby's paternity, adding: 'Everybody in this case says that's not true.

'Danny Mellows was not the father - she knew Kyle Fitton was the father.'

In July 2022, the court heard another DNA test was ordered at Family Court which found Mr Fitton to be the father, after Saville admitted she had 'falsified' the previous test result.

At the family court hearing, her barrister said she had 'panicked' and made an 'ill-informed decision'.

The court heard she went back to the Registry Office, to amend the birth certificate to show Mr Mellows was the father - which they both signed.

Mr Tucker said: 'He wasn't the father. He must've known that, and certainly Georgina Saville knew that.

'Knowing that Kyle was the father, she made a false declaration to Births and Deaths, knowing in so doing she would effectively be able to show [Mr Mellows] had parental responsibility whereas [Mr Fitton] would not.'

After being arrested, the court heard Saville told officers 'biology didn't mean anything' and that she'd provided a 'made-up' DNA test to 'save herself some cost' and get Mr Fitton 'off my back'.'

The court heard she also threatened to remove Mr Fitton from the birth certificate of their first child and texted him saying he wouldn't see her or his kids 'ever again' and that he should take her to court.

Giving evidence, Saville admitted she doctored the DNA test result by downloading an image online and editing the names to her daughter's and Mr Mellows'.

She claimed she had done so to simply get his solicitor to 'stop harassing me, to stop emailing me' and told jurors it would have been 'obvious' it wasn't a legitimate one because she 'didn't go to a lot of effort'.

Mr Tucker added: 'It's plain she knew perfectly well Kyle Fitton was in fact the father.

'She provided a document which she knew to misrepresent [her child]'s paternity.

'She sought to mislead him and his solicitor and, if taken at face value, that test result might have deterred him from pursuing the proceedings any further.

'We say this was a spiteful and calculated attempt to derail his case by dishonest means.

'What she did was misleading because she made a positive assertion Danny was the father.'

Judge Henry thanked jurors for their service and warned Saville it was a 'shame' she didn't plead guilty due to the 'extremely strong case' against her.

She will be sentenced on November 5.