Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon is facing allegations of failing to pay £43,000 in child support for his daughter, whom he previously required to have a DNA test to confirm his paternity. He is currently embroiled in a legal battle with his ex-girlfriend Jeniffer Jonsen, the mother of the now 17-year-old girl, over claims that he did not adjust his monthly payments to account for inflation.
In 2011, Lennon had agreed to pay £1500 a month towards the support of his daughter. However, Jonsen asserts that he did not follow through with the agreed upon increases and now owes a total of £43,222. Sheriff’s officers visited Lennon’s home in September 2022 to enforce the payment order.
The former football star, who transitioned to a pundit role after managing Celtic, has initiated a civil case against Jonsen regarding the dispute over child support payments. Their relationship ended before their daughter was born in June 2006, after Jonsen became pregnant in 2005.
During a court hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court, Lennon’s legal team argued that the original agreement made in 2011 was flawed and did not have a legal basis. According to Lennon’s lawyer, KC Marie Clark, the document did not specify whether the payment increases were to be annual or monthly and contained incorrect dates. Clark contested the charges brought against Lennon on the grounds of discrepancies in the original agreement.
