Fat Cat or Fat of the Land?
When the non-resident parent has a job and they have failed to pay child maintenance, we will first try to get them to pay by taking money straight from their wages. If this doesn't work, or if they are self-employed, we will pass their case to the courts. Every day this happens to 35 non-payers.
A non-resident parent from Kent told us he lived a thrifty lifestyle, but the only thing he was being economical with was the truth. Although he didn't deny being the father of his 18-month-old son, he claimed he couldn't pay child maintenance because he had no income, lived in a caravan and ate rabbits and other food he found in the local countryside.
However, using a combination of the trace tools available to us we discovered the man was a director of three different companies. A specialist section within our enforcement team is now taking further action to get the man to pay what he owes for his child.
