Bereaved fiancée of Chesterfield footballer Jordan Sinnott told he couldn't be named father

The partner of a former footballer who found out she was pregnant with his child weeks after he was killed on a night out is campaigning for a law change after she was told she could not add his name to the baby's birth certificate.

Jordan Sinnott died aged 25 after being attacked in Retford town centre in Nottinghamshire in 2020. His partner of three years, Kelly Bossons, found out she was pregnant days after his funeral. The couple had been due to marry.

Nine months later, when she registered baby Maisie's birth, she was told Mr Sinnott could not be listed as the father because they were not married at the time of his death.

Ms Bossons told ITV News: "It was just horrendous. I couldn't believe it was a thing - she was his daughter and he was her dad.

"She's had enough taken away from her and now she's not even got the legal right to have him documented on her birth certificate. It's just crazy."

Mr Sinnott, who played for Huddersfield Town, Altrincham, Bury, Halifax Town, Chesterfield and Alfreton Town, died after being punched a number of times and knocked to the floor in the early hours of Saturday 25 January, 2020. Two men were later jailed for manslaughter.

Ms Bossons was made to go through a two-year court process, involving DNA tests with Maisie and Sinnott's mother, which cost more than £1,500, to prove he was the father.

Mr Sinnott's name was eventually added to Maisie's birth certificate, but Ms Bossons wants to ensure others are spared the same battle.

She said: "We can't change the experiences that we've had. We can just use them to make it better for other people. It's just the right thing to do."

She has teamed up with charity Widowed and Young to fight against the law which says you must have been married to your deceased partner for them to be counted as the baby's father.

Georgia Elms, from the charity, told ITV News: "Most people have absolutely no idea that this is the case.

"You don't expect to be widowed while pregnant, it's just a horrendous situation.

"To then have to go through this while you're grieving and to have to pay, it just needs to be sorted."

A foundation has been set up in Sinnott's name to help teams and individuals in grassroots sports, and Ms Bossons says she hopes to leave another legacy in his name - through her campaigning work and the life of their daughter.

She said: "All Jordan wanted out of his life was to have a family of his own so I feel very fortunate that he's left me with Maisie."

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