Dad who bought ‘fiddlydyedoes’ sex shop fails to get child support order overturned
Father slammed by judge for spending over £400 on ‘delicate dyes’ at online sex shop ‘Love Honey’ while falling behind on child support payments has failed to make overturn a court order requiring her to pay increased child support.
This follows Ennis Family Law Circuit Court Judge Colin Daly upholding an order made by Ennis Family Law District Court Judge Mary Larkin that the man would pay alimony increased by €80 per week for her young son.
Judge Larkin ordered the child support increase after hearing the man was flouting the €45 child support order by paying just €25 a week to the boy who went to primary school.
The mother’s attorney in the case, Mairead Doyle, said Friday that her client “is pleased that Judge Larkin’s District Court order has been upheld on appeal and that she can now put this matter behind her. “.
The lawyer representing the father in the case, Colum Doherty, said on Friday: ‘The case is not about the breach of a court order, but about my client’s ability to pay.
Mr Doherty said: ‘Previous maintenance orders have always been adhered to. He will continue to comply with court orders. He will continue to support his child. His problem is his ability to pay.
The mother in the case has issued a maintenance arrears summons against the man for €487 and is due to go before Judge Larkin next month.
In court earlier, Judge Larkin hit out at the father after Ms Doyle produced in court bank statements of more than €400 which the man had spent in four separate payments between March and July 2021 at the sex shop in ‘Love Honey’ line.
The man – who owns two mortgage-free homes – told the court he had fallen behind on his child support payments because he was ‘struggling’ with his €203 weekly welfare benefit and had no no other income.
In response, Judge Larkin said, “You wouldn’t spend more than half your money on a ‘fiddlydyedoe’ if you only had £203 a week.”
Judge Larkin told him:
In response, the man said, “It was a misjudgment.”
In response, Judge Larkin told him, “No. It wasn’t a mistake because you didn’t care about the money, otherwise you wouldn’t have spent the money.
Judge Larkin asked the man: ‘How can you afford to spend that kind of recreational money when you have £203 to live on? In response, the man said, “I can’t afford it, Judge.”
Judge Larkin said she was satisfied the man “is extremely well off” after hearing evidence he owned two mortgage-free homes and had cash dealings.
Judge Larkin said: ‘He can obviously buy ‘diddledodas’ or whatever you want to call those things whenever he wishes without any regard for cost or expense which is obviously not a man’s business who earns €203 per week.”
Ms Doyle of Shannon-based law firm Carmody and Co Solicitors explained to Judge Larkin that ‘Love Honey’ ‘is a website for buying sex toys and erotica in general’.
Ms Doyle said bank statements show the man made two separate payments of €139 each to Love Honey in March and another payment of €98.60 in June plus a fourth payment to bring the total to over of €400.
Ms Doyle said the ‘Love Honey’ payments were made during a period when he gave his client €8 in a week for maintenance and then decided he was not going to comply with a court order maintenance and gave nothing, then decided to pay. more than 25 € for her.
Ms Doyle told the man: “At the same time, you could afford to spend upwards of £400 on this kind of rubbish.
Asked to explain the expenses for “Love Honey” by Judge Larkin, the man replied from the witness stand: “Judge, I have a social life.”
Asked why he had let €302 back in child support accumulate, the man – aged in his 40s – replied: “I am struggling at the moment.”
In response, Ms Doyle said: ‘You weren’t in trouble in June when you paid €100 in ‘Love Honey’. You weren’t in trouble then, were you? »