A 31-year-old Southampton father is accusing Magistrate Tyrone Chin of refusing to listen to his side of the story in Family Court.

The father of a ten-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had recently been hauled into Family Court by his child?s mother because he had not paid child support over the summer.

But said he did not see why he should have paid when his daughter spent the entire summer living with him while her mother was abroad in hospital having another baby.

He said he was called at work and told to collect his daughter because her mother had been flown off-Island.

?I went to collect her and she was in her school uniform with no other clothes, or any of her personal belongings with her,? he said.

He added that she was left at a friend?s house by her mother and he could not take her home to collect her things because it was not his house.

He said he took her to Hamilton to buy some clothing for the summer, put her in various summer camps and when the summer rolled by and it was time to go back to school, he bought her new school uniforms and supplies.

?But then I got a call from her mother to say that she was back in Bermuda and wanted my daughter returned,? he said.

He did so, but the woman took him to family court because he had not paid her child maintenance for the entire time the ten-year-old was staying with him.

He claimed Mr. Chin did not allow him to speak in court and demanded that he pay the outstanding maintenance ? $100 a week ? before the next court date.

He said when he did try to explain about having his daughter for the summer, Mr. Chin apparently asked him if he expected the child?s mother to move out of her apartment because he was not giving her money for rent for that time.

?I didn?t know child maintenance was supposed to pay her rent and I wasn?t given the chance to tell Mr. Chin that she lives with her boyfriend in his parent?s home, but I don?t think it would have made a difference,? he said.

He added that he was feeling resentful, even though he tried not to because he adores his daughter, but he was feeling more like a ?pay cheque? than a father.

Other than the summer holidays, his daughter also spends every Christmas with him and this year he said he is not sure he can give her a proper Christmas.

?I can?t afford to have her over every summer and Christmas if I have to keep paying her mother maintenance while she?s staying with me. I just can?t afford it,? he said, adding that he was working as hard as he could just to make ends meet.

He works in the construction industry and said the financial strain was just ?too much?.

He felt Mr. Chin just needed to listen to both sides and be the mediator he thought family court magistrates were supposed to be.

In desperation, he went to a few meetings for single fathers, but said every single man in the room had similar experiences in family court.

?We just don?t have a say in court as fathers,? he said, adding that all fathers wanted was to be able to voice their opinion in court.

Mr. Chin did not respond to numerous calls for comment on this story.