A community in the Cross Roads area of St Andrew is now in turmoil and conflict after a woman from that area pinpointed a total of 19 men as the father of her baby girl.

Reports reaching THE WEEKEND STAR are that the woman accused all of the men, including three brothers and businessmen from the area, of fathering her child. The scandal, it is reported, has taken over the entire community causing frequent arguments among the men fingered and seeing threats being issued to the woman as well as her family.

A police officer from the Cross Roads Police Station told THE WEEKEND STAR that he was aware of the matter and said the police were keeping an eye on the community because of the number of disputes and threats that have erupted recently. "The issue of paternity is not really a police matter, so we are not concerned about that, but the disputes and the threats, that's how we come in."

THE WEEKEND STAR was informed that one brave man has accepted paternity of the child, but he has now become an outcast in the community with many calling him a fool. It is also reported that the man has been branded a "winter coat", an extreme version of the Jamaican term 'jacket', usually used to describe a man who cares for a child that is not his. A source from the community told THE WEEKEND STAR, "She approached him and he reluctantly accepted. But people are saying that he spends a lot of time outside the area, so he didn't really know what was going on."

several threats

The source said, "It's a big thing in the community man. A lot of people are talking about it and it is spreading a lot." THE WEEKEND STAR was told that several threats have been levelled against the woman by some of the men who want their names to be cleared. They have also reportedly threatened the girl's mother, telling her to ensure that her daughter stops talking about them. This, the source said, has caused them both to be living in fear.

The tricky situation has also reportedly caused the end of many friendships among some of the men fingered, and some have also been forced to face the anger of their wives and girlfriends, who are upset that their men have been caught in this web.

THE WEEKEND STAR was informed that for a while after the child was born, she was given no name. The woman, who is reportedly either in her late 20s or early 30s, also has another child.