Joanna*, 40, from London, was with her husband for eight years when their relationship suddenly ended.
Initially while working through divorce proceedings, she assumed child maintenance for their three children was a given as he had a well-paid job, several properties and a variation of investments. She was wrong.
What was supposed to be a straightforward process soon turned into years of tug of war with the CMS (child maintenance service) as payments stopped and started sporadically.
‘Initially, he paid an agreed amount per week but just two years later my ex had moved all his income out of the UK, and was living off ‘overseas earnings’. I didn’t know where these banks were or what his income was.’
Shortly after, Joanna received a nil assessment from CMS, which meant her ex-husband didn’t have to pay anything, despite still being a partner in his firm and his high-profile work being showcased regularly online.
The only thing she did notice though was that he…
