Ex-Beatle Accused of Faking Paternity Test

Paul McCartney Under Investigation in Berlin

Former Beatle Paul McCartney has had a rough year coping with a media frenzy over his divorce from Heather Mills. Now the British star faces a new battle -- with a German woman who claims that she is his daughter.

A 46-year-old Berlin woman claims Paul McCartney faked a paternity test over 20 years ago to deny that he was her father.

Back in 1960s as Paul McCartney was penning his hit "When I'm 64," he probably didn't envisage that his own year spent as a 64-year-old would entail quite so much unpleasant drama. He's spent the last year dealing with a highly publicized and acrimonious divorce from his second wife, Heather Mills -- and now he has to deal with a German fraud investigation.

A speaker for the Berlin public prosecutor's office, Michael Grunwald, confirmed on Friday to reporters that the office is investigating claims that McCartney faked a paternity test 23 years ago.

Bettina Krischbin, a 46-year-old Berliner, claims that the superstar is her dad. She also says he sent a stand-in to take a blood test back in the 1980s. McCartney has always denied being the woman's father and when the blood test proved negative in 1984, a Berlin court dismissed her claim.

The woman, who works as a caretaker in an old people's home in Berlin, claims her mother, Erika Hübers, had an affair with the British musician between 1959 and 1962. At the time the Beatles were playing on Hamburg's infamous Reeperbahn and hadn't yet risen to fame.

Now she wants to prove that McCartney sent a body double to take the blood test. "The signature in the old documents is false," she told the mass-circulation Bild Zeitung. "We have found the signature is from a right-handed person, but Paul is left-handed."

The woman also told Bild that the ex-Beatle, who is currently worth an estimated €1.1 billion, gave her mother 30,000 deutsche marks (€15,300) in 1966 and then paid her 200 DM a month for years. "Why would he do that if he supposedly isn’t the father?"

Erika Hübers says she supports her daughter's wish for a new paternity test and recognition as McCartney's daughter. "I think we have a good chance now," she said, "because he lied to the court -- provided it with false evidence."

But the Berlin public prosecutor's office warned that the investigaton is only in the preliminary phase. "Anyone can bring a case against anyone else," Grunwald explained.

smd/ap/dpa