ABC interview of Liam Magill about paternity fraud committed against him and his 3 children
First TV Interview

Transcript

Now to the DNA test that brought a father's world crashing down around him.

Liam McGill found out the hard way that two of his three children were not actually his. So he sued his ex-wife for damages.

And he gave his first television interview to Elise Mooney.

It's a horrible thing for anybody to have to go through.

I just can't believe that one person can do this to other person and on the children.

Liam McGill is a broken man.

Do you feel you've been deceived?

Oh yes. It's not just myself at some the children have been deceived as well as it's a young a dreadful case all around when his marriage to wife Meredith broke down in 1992 Liam was devastated he not only lost a marriage but also three beautiful children Heath Allen and Bonnie it's like something's torn away from you all he was left with was eight years of crippling child support payments at times his take-home pay reduced to just 130 dollars a week but a DNA test changed all that when I heard the results I was just struck down I couldn't speak I couldn't function the results were shocking they revealed Liam was not in fact the biological father of the two youngest children Allen and Bonnie children he had supported children he always believed were his they belong to Meredith's secret lover I personally found it very hard to get my head around the fact that the kids are watch born people one of them might not be mine I can't explain to people how that that is. It's just something you can't explain to people faced with the brutal truth, Liam's life spiraled downwards. He sank into a deep depression, unable to continue work as a public servant, unable to function. He was paralyzed by the deceit little little girl wasn't morning what is it she's four months Liam McGill was angry then it was time to get even bolstered by the love of his new partner Cheryl he took the unprecedented step and soon his former wife the deceit for the pain, humiliation and cost of learning he was not the father to all of his children

Liam did not want to be paid back for all the child maintenance but he did seek compensation of the psychiatric injury, the cost of caring for the children during the marriage and later during access visits and for loss of past present and future earnings.

The landmark legal case was a success.

The judge ordered the mother to pay her ex-husband $75,000 for pain, suffering and loss of income.

It's a sweetener for Liam but what about the children? What compensation did they receive? Children certainly will suffer as a result of any parental clash. Family psychologist Dr. Janet Hall says DNA testing can make children, especially preteens, feel desperately abandoned.

If the children were very young, it's much more likely that they would come through this kind of thing and they can form new attachments and get that stability back but preteens are very vulnerable.

Family law specialist Rose Lockie, a partner at Gadens lawyers, says if a mother is ordered to pay compensation, that too will impact on the children in her care.

Where's that award of damages going to be paid from if she is not sufficiently financial.

She may need to sell an asset such as the former matrimonial home.

That directly impacts on the children or even if she has to obtain a loan then she has to service alone that she didn't otherwise have Liam who was not seeing the children for two years knows they too are suffering but it's nice to get part of all this there isn't that deserve this and a warning to men and women who try to outsmart science DNA testing rules out any doubt about paternity when we're testing a and alleged father we can prove that that person is not the father if he doesn't match up with the genes that the child has to have inherited from their biological father Alexandra Gabrielle Eddie's is the lab manager at genetic technologies corporation where Liam's DNA revealed the terrible truth it's estimated that a staggering 1 in 5 men tested are not in fact the biological father you can prove that an alleged father is excluded from paternity or he's not the father of the child being tested be very very careful because you could lose everything and Liam's ex-wife Meredith is currently appealing that court decision.