At maintenance hearing, court tells dad, 'daughters not yours'

A 31-YEAR-OLD father on Tuesday found out in the Chaguanas magistrates’ court that he had been paying maintenance for two children whom, he later found out are not his. The startling information was revealed by magistrate Nikolas Ali when a case for maintenance and custody of the children - two girls - came up before him.

The children are four and six-years old and before Ali stood the girls' "father" who is a police officer. Standing next to him was the mother, a 28-year-old woman of Central Trinidad. She was represented by attorney Nandeswar Bhimal Maharajh who filed the application in September on the wife’s behalf.

Ali first heard the matter in September when it was revealed that before the wife filed the maintenance and custody case, she was living with the policeman as his wife. Ali had ordered that the husband pay the wife $150 per month for each of "his" children. The husband paid his alimony, but three weeks ago, he filed an application for a paternity test. Ali made an order for it to be done. Such tests determines the biological parents.

It was done and the results were sent to the magistrates’ court. Yesterday, when the case was called and both husband and wife stood before Ali, a clerk handed the test results in envelopes to both the mother and “father.” Both opened the envelopes almost simultaneously

Ali proceeded to read the results. He said, "(children names called) are not the children of the respondent (husband)." The policeman bent his head and began to sob. Ali then asked attorney Maharajh, that in light of the test results, what were his instructions. The attorney announced that he would withdraw the application for maintenance and custody.

Ali then asked the policeman about the money he had paid, but sobbing, he said, “It is not about the money. All this time I cared and love these children like if they was (sic) mines.” The magistrate dismissed the application for maintenance and custody.