*The case has been adjourned until July to allow the paternity test to take place.
A JUDGE has told a businessman that “you might have to look at your diary” from late 2019 to help determine if he is the father of a four year old boy.
The man has been named as the father in child-care proceedings for the boy at the Family Law Court.
In court, the man said that the “timing is a bit off” on the question of him being the Dad of the boy.
In reply, Judge Gabbett said “you never know with biology”.
The man said that the mother had other partners at the time.
Asked by Judge Gabbett has he ever met the boy, the man said that he had not but had been sent photos of him.
At the Family Law Court in Ennis, Judge Alec Gabbett told the man that the baby was born in August 2020 “so go back nine months”.
Judge Gabbett said: “We have a rough idea – December 2019 – you might have to look at your diary but DNA will prove it”.
The judge stated, “It is important for the child. There is an almost four year old boy desperately seeking a father, albeit he is doing really well in foster care but still at the same time”.
Judge Gabbett said, “For the boy it would be a huge thing to have a Dad”.
The businessman said, “If it did turn out that I was his Dad I would do the right thing”.
Solicitor for TUSLA, Kevin Sherry told the court that the mother in the case has indicated the man is most lightly the father in the case.
The man agreed that he would undergo a DNA test to determine if he is the father of the child and Judge Gabbett directed that TUSLA fund the paternity test.
Judge Gabbett told Mr Sherry that the man doesn’t believe that he is the father.
The man says that he has a very strong likeness to his own two children with different mothers.
Judge Gabbett said that if the man is not the Dad, he would take his name off the child care proceedings and life goes on.
He said, “If he is the Dad I would like this child to know his father”.
Judge Gabbett adjourned the case to July to allow the paternity test take place.
