A woman who travelled from Nigeria to the United Kingdom last summer has been found by a British court to have unlawfully brought a baby into the country using a false birth narrative and forged documents, the BBC has reported.
Identified only as “Susan” for legal reasons, the Nigerian national had been living in West Yorkshire with her husband and children since mid-2023. Before leaving the UK for Nigeria in June 2024, Susan informed her GP that she was pregnant. However, medical assessments, including scans and blood tests, later confirmed she was not expecting a child and had, in fact, been diagnosed with a tumour.
Upon her return to the UK with a baby girl—referred to in court as “Eleanor”—Susan was arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of child trafficking. Sussex Police later released her on bail. A DNA test subsequently showed that neither Susan nor her husband had any biological link to the baby
The DNA results yielded the same result, Susan maintained that she had undergone IVF treatment in Nigeria using donor sperm and eggs. She submitted documents and media claiming to support her claim, including a letter from a Nigerian hospital and images allegedly taken during childbirth. However, investigations ordered by the Family Court in Leeds cast doubt on the authenticity of the evidence
According to the BBC, Social worker Henrietta Coker, who was commissioned by the court to examine Susan’s claims, visited both the clinic named in the IVF letter and the location Susan claimed to have given birth. The IVF centre had no record of Susan receiving treatment, and staff told Ms. Coker the letter presented was forged. The supposed birth facility, described as a dilapidated three-bedroom apartment, raised further concerns. Ms. Coker also reported finding unqualified teenagers in nurses’ uniforms on the premises
A doctor who had signed the letter attesting to the birth later admitted to Ms. Coker that Susan had not given birth at the location, though someone else had. He added that impersonation was common in the area and suggested the baby might have been purchased.
The court was also presented with messages from Susan’s mobile phone, sent to a contact listed as “Mum of Lagos Baby.” The messages included requests for delivery items and quotations for hospital bills and medications, which authorities said pointed to a transaction for the baby. The local authority told the court that the messages had been set to self-destruct automatically, which further raised suspicions
At a final remote hearing attended by the BBC, Susan and her husband requested that the child be returned to their custody. Their legal team argued they could provide care and stability. However, the child’s guardian disagreed, citing the couple’s ongoing dishonesty about Eleanor’s origin.
The court issued a declaration of non-parentage and directed that Eleanor be placed for adoption. She will receive British citizenship and a new identity, though her biological parents remain unknown
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