Miss Herdman approached the Highland News about her plight after reading our article last month about Merkinch mum Anne-Marie Munn (31), who also has a son by Mr McLoughlin.

Miss Munn, of Benula Road, revealed she had fought for years for child maintenance for Matthew (10) and claimed Mr McLoughlin, of Inshes Wood, had failed to stump up over £7,000 he owes her and the CSA.

Miss Herdman, of Citadel Drive, Stromness, Orkney, claims she was seeing Mr McLoughlin – who is currently in Ibiza and works under the name of "DJ Ally" – for around four months after meeting him in April 2005 at the Ferry Inn, Stromness, where she is a barmaid. At the time, he was working there as a DJ.

She said the relationship ended when she told him she was expecting his child, and she first contacted the CSA while pregnant.

She explained: "They told me to phone back nearer the birth, which I did do about a month before Jordan's birth. I contacted them again just after he was born. At that stage, they said they would deal with it."

Two months before Jordan's birth in May 2006, she said her solicitor had also written to Mr McLoughlin, asking him to confirm whether he would provide child maintenance, and warned if she had not heard from him prior to the birth, a CSA application would be made.

His said his hand-written reply stated: "I am going to see the child as and when I can, and try to support the child as much as I can. I only work one afternoon a week for three-and-a-half hours at the moment but am looking for other work."

But despite that promise, she claims several months after Jordan's birth, she had still not received any money and arranged to meet Mr McLoughlin in Inverness.

She said: "When we met he said if I didn't get the CSA involved, he would pay money directly to me. For a week he kept in touch, but when he stopped contact I started hounding the CSA again.

"They kept fobbing me off, saying they would sort it out and they would be in touch.

"I got his address and work details but they would say they were having trouble tracking him down. On one of the many phone calls to them, they even tried to ask me if that was definitely his name and whether he existed. I told them I didn't get pregnant on my own."

Eventually, she said there was a ray of hope when a CSA letter arrived in March of this year to say he was to start paying her £14 a week.

Again, she said no cash came in, and when Jordan turned three in May this year, she claimed Mr McLoughlin tried to deny paternity.

Gemma with son Jordan (3).

She added: "The CSA wrote to him asking him to take a DNA test but he wouldn't do it. Because he refused to do it, they assume he is the father."

Also in May this year, she said another letter arrived from the CSA stating he would start stumping up £20 weekly.

But still, no money has come in. She has now written a letter of complaint to the CSA, demanding to know exactly how much she is owed, and warned her next move will be to contact her local MP.

The first mum, Anne-Marie Munn, was forced to go to her local MP Danny Alexander in a bid to push forward her case.

Miss Herdman added: "The CSA are a joke. I don't know how one man can be so hard to track down."

A CSA spokeswoman said she could not comment on specific cases.

But she added: "A minority of parents go to great lengths to avoid their financial responsibility to their children, including frequent changes of address and employment.

"We can and will use our enforcement powers against those who don't pay. This can sometimes be a lengthy process but we do not give up on cases nor do we write off accumulated arrears.

"We have been in contact with Ms Herdman to address her concerns."

When the Highland News contacted Mr McLoughlin in Ibiza about Miss Herdman's claims, he hung up. Previously he refused to comment on Miss Munn's claims.

h.bushnell@highland-news.co.uk

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