Lauryn Goodman accused of 'insatiable greed' as court hears she 'actively instigated' press coverage of Kyle Walker paternity story

Goodman argued that the hearing at Central Family Court in London should be private, however Judge Edward Hess said that it “sits ill” that she took payment from the press to attend the recent European Championships, in which Walker competed with England, in order to garner attention for “journalistic fodder”.

Goodman, 33, was in a dispute with Walker, 34, over the amount of money he should pay in support to their one-year-old child Kinara. Walker fathered two children with Goodman while in a relationship with wife, Annie, with whom he has four children.

In his ruling, Judge Hess said: “It would be a nonsense, opening the court to ridicule, to try to redact or anonymise this judgment to prevent identification of the parties. Further, a perusal of the many hundreds of newspaper articles published about these matters clearly illustrates that the mother has not just co-operated with, but actively instigated, press coverage placing in the public domain her own children, the circumstances of their conceptions and what she thinks about the father.

“It sits ill for a person to come to court arguing for privacy for her children when, just a very short while earlier, she took a payment from the press to visit the European football championship with her son dressed in an England football shirt with the name ‘Daddy’ on the back, and to be willingly photographed doing this to provide journalistic fodder which the newspapers were only too happy to use. If the children suffer any harm from the publicity of these matters, it has already happened, and it will largely be the result of the mother’s own decisions and actions.

“For me, on the facts of this case, the balancing exercise must come down against the mother’s argument. For me, the right of the press to scrutinise and comment upon the court’s procedures and decisions, and what the mother has requested of the father and how he has responded, is on this occasion a greater priority.”

The court previously heard from Walker’s barristers that Goodman has confirmed in the press earlier this year that he was the father of her youngest child. The influencer’s barrister, Nichola Gray KC, said that the Manchester City star had tried to ensure that she stayed “silent” regarding the paternity and that Goodman agreed to a “gagging undertaking”.

Walker told the court:  “My wife at home did not know and I have two children with Lauryn, four children with Annie, and I wanted to protect them as best as possible. (Ms Goodman) did not have a gun to my head but she did have a detonator and for me, it was about keeping the peace because I did not want my wife finding out.”

Goodman has been accused of “insatiable greed” in her pursuit of money from Walker for support of their child. Her claims include £14,750 a month in “global” child maintenance for the two children, air conditioning for her home coasting £33,000, and new car worth £70,000 every three years.

She also claimed a need for more than £30,000 for artificial turf pitch by saying that her one-year-old daughter kicked a ball from a crawling position and could become a future England footballer, telling the court: “The Lionesses are better than the Lions.”

Walker argued that some claims should be either deceased or refused altogether. He told the court that he was not a an “open chequebook” despite his multi-million pound Man City salary.

Judge Hall ruled: “Plainly, he (Mr Walker) was embarrassed and remorseful as to the difficult situation in which he has placed a number of people, including all of his children, and regretted his decision-making in trying to keep his paternity of Kinara a secret. But he has in my view acted with dignity and generosity, and, once the secret was out, honesty, in facing up to the financial and personal consequences of what happened.

“In contrast, my assessment of the mother is that she was not reliable, often said what she thought would help her case rather than what was true, failed to make a calm and measured assessment of what she needed and often exaggerated her need to spend money.”

After the ruling, a spokesperson for Walker told the media that the court dispute was “never necessary”. They said: “This judgment speaks for itself in laying bare Lauryn Goodman’s insatiable greed and relentless pursuit of money. The judge made it clear: she used Kyle as an open-ended chequebook and repeatedly threatened him in order to get what she wanted. She then orchestrated a media campaign to feed intolerable and wrongful intrusion into the private lives of Kyle, Annie and their young family.

Goodman said in a statement: “I am a dedicated single mother and whilst my children will never have what their half-siblings have, I have tried my best for my children and always will, no matter what.

“Thanks to my legal team and the judge’s decision, my children’s childhood is secure and I will now focus on building a solid future for them so as to provide for the time when the children’s home reverts back to their father. More than anything, I look forward to enjoying every moment with my children and the three of us being able to get on with our lives.”