A university lecturer is suing his ex-wife for £83,500 after she allegedly swapped his sperm for an ex-lover ’ s while undergoing fertility treatment . The respected academic claims he was led to believe that he was the father of a child born through in vitro fertilisation ( IVF ) . He subsequently paid thousands of pounds in child maintenance after he and his wife divorced . A DNA test eventually revealed the child was not his . In the first case of paternity fraud involving IVF in the UK , the lecturer claims that when his former wife travelled to a fertility clinic in Spain with her ex-lover – a visit his ex-wife admits took place – the ex-lover pretended he was her husband and donated sperm . A university lecturer is suing his ex-wife for £83,500 after she allegedly swapped his sperm for an ex-lover ’ s while undergoing IVF ( file picture ) The case will come to the High Court this week , with the parties referred to by pseudonyms . The Mail on Sunday knows their identities but they can not be named for legal reasons . The couple married in 2002 , and the husband – who already had two children by a previous marriage – had his vasectomy reversed so they could have a baby . But the wife failed to conceive and turned to the ex-lover for comfort . A family source said : ‘ The marriage was turbulent . His wife got bored with her husband and had long conversations with her ex-lover. ’ In 2004 the husband and wife visited the IVF clinic where the lecturer provided sperm for use later . But the following year , his wife returned with her ex-lover and he donated sperm . During a third visit , she had a fertilised egg implanted with the clinic using her ex-lover ’ s sperm . Seven months after the baby ’ s birth , the husband and wife separated and were divorced in 2007 , with the lecturer sharing custody of his son , now aged nine . The 60-year-old academic has launched a High Court ( pictured ) action in a bid to get £83,500 damages , including the return of child maintenance payments . As the child grew older , the academic noticed he looked like his wife ’ s ex-lover . A DNA test carried out when the boy was five confirmed he was not the lecturer ’ s son . His wife , now aged 53 , said there must have been a mix-up with his sperm at the fertility clinic , but denied intentionally deceiving her ex-husband . But by then the lecturer had already paid thousands of pounds in maintenance . Now the 60-year-old academic has launched a High Court action in a bid to get the money back . His claim for £83,500 damages in the Queen ’ s Bench Division is for fraudulent misrepresentation and the return of maintenance payments , plus interest . Professor Allan Pacey , a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield , said : ‘ It ’ s extremely unlikely the clinic mixed up the sperm . It ’ s a bizarre case. ’ The lecturer ’ s solicitor , Ellen Windsor , said : ‘ I have been involved in two previous landmark cases covering paternity fraud in the High Court , both of which were successful . ’
Lecturer suing ex-wife over claim she swapped sperm for ex-lover 's in IVF . He paid thousands of pounds in child maintenance after they divorced . Academic noticed child looked like wife 's ex-lover so had a DNA test . It proved he was n't the child 's father and he now wants £83,500 in damages . High Court case is the first of paternity fraud involving IVF in the UK .