A mum in the UK has been given thousands of dollars in legal aid to change her daughter’s middle name.
The mum, who cannot be named, was granted legal aid to make the change because an infamous person had the same name and it was drawing unfavourable comparisons.
Last year, a judge ruled in her favour. And when the father of the child recently tried to launch an appeal, the judge said keeping the middle name would damage the child’s emotional welfare, MailOnline reports.
“At birth the child was given two forenames by the parents and registered with both. The child is most commonly known by the first name but the father uses both and says he favours the middle name,” he said.
"The middle name is a normal well established name. It is not eccentric or in itself offensive. However, the mother's case was that, as a result of its association with a notorious public figure, it is infected with bad connotations."
The mum's case has received criticism in the UK, as other parents - including Charlie Gard's parents - were denied financial help from legal aid.
Philip Hollobone, a conservative minister in the UK, said there were "more deserving cases" which deserved tax payers money.
"I find it really surprising that public money has been used in this way. There are far more deserving cases than this one," he said.
Charlie Gard's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, were denied legal aid assistance when they took on Great Ormond Street Hospital in the hope of being able to take Charlie to the US for treatment.
Families of the victims of the 1982 IRA Hyde Park bomb were also denied assistance when they tried to privately prosecute suspect John Downey.
In the UK, a couple cannot receive legal aid if they have a combined total income over £31,844 (around AU$52,000) or have £8,000 (around AU$13,000) in savings.
LISTEN: Please don't name your baby Jakxxson.
Do you think this mum should have been granted legal aid? Tell us in the comments below.
Top Comments
Pretty pointless article without all the information as to what this kid's name is/was.
I'm going with Donald.
But yeah, no way something like this should be eligible for legal aid.
Hahaha that's my guess too!
It's a girl, so I'll go with Ivanka!