A Warrington man who was callously duped into believing he was a dad for two years with a fake DNA test, wept in court today (Tue) when his former partner was sentenced for heartlessly defrauding him.
Ryan Hampson aged 27, told a judge how Beth Fernley’s lies “tore apart everything I had come to believe in. The loss was profound and overwhelming, leaving me with feelings of grief, confusion, and heartbreak that I am now forced to carry.”
He was deceived by her for two years and loved the child and a judge described the nature of Fernley’s offending as “particularly dreadful” and involving “sinister dishonesty.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard how the couple’s four-year relationship had ended in January 2019 but two months later Fernley told him she was pregnant to another man. Shortly afterwards, however, she claimed a DNA test showed that man wasn’t the father and Hampson was.
She said she would arrange a paternity test and asked him for a financial contribution and he sent her £300. Fernley sent screenshots purportedly from Easy DNA showing there was a 99% probability that he was the father, said Gareth Roberts, prosecuting.
The court heard that he bought items for the unborn child, attended scans with her, was present at the little girl’s birthday in September that year and he was named on her birth certificate.
Mr Hampson decided to resume the relationship and they moved forward together as a family. They bought a property together in February 2020.
But in April 2021 she gave him a letter falsely alleging it was from EasyDNA and she “also admitted that she had cheated with the other man during the course of their relationship and there was therefore a chance that he could be the baby’s father.
“Mr Hampson provided a further sample, and the defendant arranged for that to be analysed by Easy DNA. The results confirmed that there was 0% probability that he was the father.
“The defendant also contacted the other man in April 2021. She admitted at that stage that she obtained ‘fake’ DNA tests in 2019. She told him that she wanted to do a legitimate test. This was arranged and confirmed that the other man was the baby’s biological father.
“Mr Hampson contacted Easy DNA who confirmed that there was no record of any tests being undertaken in respect of the baby’s paternity in 2019 and that the individuals named in the correspondence provided to him by the defendant do not work for the company,” said Mr Roberts.
He reported the matter to the police in July 2022 and Fernley was arrested and interviewed.
She maintained that the material she provided from Easy DNA was genuine and that she had received the letter from Easy DNA in April 2021 informing her of a lab error. She denied admitting to “faking” the tests to the other man but has since resiled from her account, said the prosecutor. Fernley, aged 26, of Wroxham Road, Great Sankey, Warrington, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation after initially pleading not guilty.
Mr Hampson read his moving impact statement to the court in which he began by saying, “For many years, I trusted someone deeply, and I believed in the relationship we built together.
“I had formed a strong bond with a child who I was led to believe was my daughter. To find out that I was not her biological father felt like a betrayal.”
He continued, “When I first learned the truth, I was consumed with feelings of embarrassment, sadness, and despair. I couldn’t face anyone—not even my own family—because I felt like a failure.
“The sense of violation and disbelief was so intense that I struggled with suicidal thoughts, which led me to seek counselling. My entire world fell apart. The emotional toll of this experience left me dealing with severe anxiety, panic attacks, and nightmares.
“I found myself fearful of going to sleep, as I relive these painful memories each night along with ongoing court cases that I had to go through to try and restore normality to my life.
“Without the support of my family and friends, I genuinely believe I wouldn’t be here today. They have been my lifeline, and I rely on them every day to help me cope.”
Mr Hampson, who also lives in Warrington, said that the thought of seeing the child in public “fills me with dread, as I still grieve for a child that is no longer in my life. The emotional pain of people asking about my daughter is unbearable, and it brings waves of grief and sadness back that I cannot control.”
Mr Hampson said, “The fear of being let down or hurt again looms over every interaction. I also worry about how this experience will affect any future relationships, especially regarding the possibility of having children.
“The idea of being told I will become a father again is deeply unsettling, and I’m unsure if I will ever be able to handle that situation. I constantly question how I would react, and the thought of fatherhood now feels more like a burden than a joy.”
His statement concluded, “The emotional, physical, and social effects of this experience have been far-reaching, and I still struggle daily with the consequences.
“It has forever changed my view of trust, relationships, and fatherhood, and I’m unsure of how to heal from the deep wounds this betrayal has caused. I am currently in private counselling to help deal with the trauma and how to re-build my life.
“Despite the overwhelming challenges I have faced, I have found the strength to fight through the justice system to seek the answers I always so desperately needed.
“The trauma I have experienced is something I would never wish upon anyone, not even my worst enemy. I would never want anyone to endure what my family and I have gone through.”
Her barrister, Tom Worsfold, said that Fernley, who has no previous convictions, had been about 20 at the time and had references from her family and employer.
Judge Andrew Menary, KC, the Recorder of Liverpool interrupted him to say that it was “baffling” that despite knowing everything they still described her as a ‘lovely, trustworthy person.’
“There is no concession of the enormous harm she has caused.”
Mr Worsfold said that she had made concessions of harm in her pre-sentence report and showed insight into the consequences to Mr Hampson and his family.
He conceded there had been elements of “burying her head in the sand” until she entered her guilty plea.
“She accepts it was wrong of her, in her own words, to play God.”
Mr Worsfold said there were areas of immaturity and deficits in cognitive thinking identified by the probation service where they could support her.
She works part time and is a committed mother to her daughter in difficult circumstances. She lives with her father and has recently reduced her working hours to spend more time with her child.
Imposing a suspended prison sentence Judge Menary said, “You pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. That label for the offence does not reveal by itself the particularly dreadful nature of the offence you committed.”
He said that she let Mr Hampson believe for two years or so that he was the girl’s father and she got money from his for a DNA test. “All of it was a complete fiction.”
“You pleaded guilty on March 18 but until that point you had in large measure lied to everybody about all of this.
“This was a particularly dreadful offence which had a profound effect on many people, including most particularly Mr Hampson but also members of his extended family who believed they were grandparents or aunts or uncles or the like.”
He said it had also affected her daughter who for a while thought that someone else was her father. “All of that has complicated her family history in a way which should never have happened.”
Judge Menary told Fernley, who wiped away a tear while being sentenced, “You were 20 when all of this began. Whether it began out of some sense of apprehension because you found yourself pregnant by someone who wasn’t your partner or because you were keen to create some sort of perfect family it is hard for me to understand.”
He said her actions had involved “repeated dishonest and deceit” and she knew Mr Hampson wasn’t the father. “These matters have been devastating to him particularly when he discovered the whole thing was a fiction.”
He said her behaviour involved “the repetition of sinister dishonesty” and it was a “particularly dreadful offence” as Mr Hampson had had the child he had thought was his and grown to love, “ripped” from him.
The judge told her he was not sending her straight to jail, as many would think she deserved, because of the impact on her daughter who has challenges and because she was young and has never been in trouble before.
He sentenced her to 13 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. He also ordered her to carry out 200 hours unpaid work and ten rehabilitation activity days and to pay £300 compensation.
After the hearing Mr Hampson, moved to tears by emotion, was hugged and kissed by friends and family, several of whom were also in tears.
