A British father has opened up about the psychological toll that came with having to wait 15 months to finally meet his daughter after his ex-girlfriend falsified a DNA test to indicate that the child was not really his.
Georgina Saville, 25, falsified the father listed on the baby’s birth certificate to be Danny Mellows rather than her former partner, Kyle Fitton, by manipulating a DNA test result.
This deception was intended to prevent Mr. Fitton, 26, from pursuing legal action to gain access to his children.
Saville has refuted this accusation, asserting that she fabricated the paperwork to stop receiving a constant barrage of emails from Mr. Fitton’s attorney.
In his first public remarks following the terrifying ordeal, Mr. Fitton explained how his ex-girlfriend’s dishonesty devastated him.
He said, “It’s taken so long to get to this stage and to actually get to the truth. It’s just a massive sense of relief. I have been quite upset, stressed all the time. It’s one of the hardest weeks that I have had to deal with.”
Saville first presented a fictitious DNA test and falsely filled out the birth certificate, listing Mr. Mellows as the father, in March 2022, not long after the birth of their second child.
This deception led to a lengthy legal battle that culminated in Saville’s trial at Southampton Crown Court, where she was convicted of perverting the course of public justice and willfully making a false declaration regarding the birth.
After the court case, Mr. Fitton’s mother was granted guardianship of his two children, allowing him to see them every day.
The mechanic described his joy at coming home from work to the sound of his children calling him “daddy,” calling it “the best part of my day.”
Reflecting on how the relationship with Saville has impacted him, Mr. Fitton revealed that it took a significant toll on his personal life.
“When I split from Georgina, it was very difficult for me to get into any relationship. It has made me overthink things, I’d shut myself off from everyone. I was dealing with it on my own,” he admitted.
He explained how the mental strain from the ordeal affected his health. “I started doubting myself, it really affected me, my mental health. I couldn’t sleep. It was constant and it was her way or the highway,” he said, revealing that he initially followed Saville’s demands for the sake of their eldest daughter. “I unfortunately followed her rules but I followed them for [their eldest daughter] at that time — to be a dad and to make sure she was happy.”
Even though their relationship was turbulent, Mr. Fitton claimed to be “very happy” to learn of Saville’s pregnancy in the beginning of 2021, despite the fact that their constant arguments prevented them from remaining together.
“The reason I kept going back to her was because of [our eldest child],” he explained. “I wanted to be a family, I wanted to try my hardest and have that family, as one unit.”
However, things worsened after the breakup, as Saville made life increasingly difficult for him. “It was really hard, no matter what I did I was in the wrong,” he said. “If I went to see her, she wouldn’t answer the door, and if I didn’t text her back in five minutes, she would call me a deadbeat dad.” He recounted how Saville’s behavior became more aggressive, with numerous missed calls and demands, making it impossible for him to maintain peace.
He gave his mother Jayne Fitton credit for serving as a go-between, providing him with any information he required regarding his kids.
Throughout the turmoil, Fitton never doubted his daughter’s paternity, despite Saville’s claims. “There was never any question. I knew she was not Danny’s from day one. It was quite frustrating — she was almost doing that to get at me.”
Fitton endured a protracted and emotionally taxing court battle because he was determined to establish the truth. “I had constant allegations against me. I just got to the point where I thought, ‘what is going to happen next?’ I had to keep fighting for the truth, and I stuck by it.”
He also disclosed how scared he was by Saville’s threats to take the kids away and make sure he never saw them again. “It scared me because we believed she was actually going to leave the country at one point. It absolutely scared me. I thought I was going to have my girls taken from me and nothing could be done.”
Mr. Fitton finally got to see his baby daughter after a torturous 15 months of waiting. “The bond between them now is ecstatic,” he said of the growing relationship between his two daughters. “It took some time to bond, but now it’s amazing. We were finally united before her second birthday.”
He continued by saying that it was challenging for him to connect with his child earlier because of Saville’s limitations. “[Saville] said I was never allowed to meet [the baby], but mum was. Even if I asked my mum to say something to her, it would be a no. That’s when I had enough of it. I said I need to do something, and that’s when I started court proceedings.”
Now, as Mr. Fitton looks ahead, he finds comfort in the stable routine of seeing his daughters daily. “I’m around mum’s every night, I’m there at the weekend — it’s every day,” he said, describing his joy in simple moments like taking his eldest daughter to her first day of school. “It’s just a sense of relief they are there, they are happy, and they are safe.”
Published by Ejoh Caleb
