Blunkett wins first court battle over child

British Home Secretary David Blunkett today fought off an attempt by ex-lover Kimberly Quinn to delay court proceedings in which he is seeking parental access to her two-year-old son.

High Court judge Mr Justice Ryder rejected the argument that for health reasons Mrs Quinn was unable to get a fair hearing unless the case was adjourned until next April.

Mrs Quinn, 44, claimed at a private hearing yesterday that taking part in the proceedings, which are imminent, would put her own health and that of her unborn second child at risk, as well as affecting the welfare of her son.

Mr Justice Ryder said: "It should be recorded that Mrs Quinn has not herself issued an application for scientific tests to determine A's paternity nor for any order of the court other than an adjournment.''

Senior District Judge Waller had listed the case for hearing later this month to consider whether Mr Quinn should be joined as a party and whether there should be scientific paternity tests.

The appeal had been heard as a matter of urgency because of the imminence of the hearing and Mrs Quinn’s intention to delay the case until April next year.

Mr Justice Ryder stressed that the case had not received preferential treatment – “they have not been fast-tracked”.

He said he was giving his ruling in public at the invitation of Mr Blunkett’s lawyers “so that the record in respect of some factual issues may be set straight and so that the public might have confidence that the system of family justice is fair and not wrongly cloaked in unnecessary or inappropriate secrecy”.