Two Trinidadian men have come forward with harrowing accounts of legal battles and emotional distress after discovering children they believed to be their biological offspring were not theirs genetically. Their stories emerge amid startling statistics from the Fathers’ Association of TT revealing one in three paternity tests administered by a local lab disproved biological fatherhood.
Jervon Thompson, now 45, recounted how he enthusiastically signed his ‘son’s’ birth certificate in his early twenties despite the mother’s objections. For seven years, he fulfilled paternal duties until their separation triggered court-ordered maintenance payments. When Thompson later arranged direct payments outside court systems, an arrest warrant was issued for non-payment through official channels. His wife’s intuition eventually prompted a paternity test that revealed zero biological connection. Despite this, Thompson continued caring for the now-24-year-old man he still considers his son, though he endured years of legal battles totaling $35,000 in alleged maintenance debt before the case was dismissed.
Simon Harry’s ordeal began in 2011 when he temporarily housed a pregnant coworker’s relative. Suspecting non-paternity from the outset, his requests for testing were denied. Eleven years later, he discovered newspaper notices seeking his whereabouts for maintenance claims filed by the child’s grandmother. Court proceedings resulted in a $50,000 maintenance order for a child he had never met. After coincidentally meeting the now-23-year-old woman believed to be his daughter, genetic testing confirmed his longstanding suspicions. Harry now fights to dismiss accumulated debts and arrest warrants, noting the profound emotional impact on all involved.
Both cases highlight systemic issues in Trinidad’s family court systems, where magistrates often presume male guilt in maintenance cases. The men described being treated as ‘deadbeat dads’ despite evidence of deception, with Harry noting the ordeal destroyed multiple relationships including his marriage. Thompson emphasized the enduring parental bond despite biological reality: ‘He’s not mine – but between me and him, we don’t study that.’
The mothers’ roles differed significantly—Thompson’s accuser actively pursued payments despite knowing the truth, while Harry’s case involved a grandmother pursuing claims without the biological mother’s knowledge. Both men advocate for mandatory paternity testing in maintenance cases to prevent similar injustices.