Woman Brought Baby into UK via Fake Birth Story
British authorities have been noticing a worrying trend of babies possibly being brought to the country unlawfully.
Last summer, a woman was arrested at Gatwick Airport upon her return from Nigeria with an infant girl.
The woman, who is Nigerian and had been living in England since June 2023 with her husband and children, claimed she was pregnant and intended to give birth in Nigeria before returning to the UK.
However, scans revealed that she was not actually pregnant, though she insisted on telling her employer that her previous pregnancies had always been invisible on scans.
She also claimed to have been pregnant for up to 30 months with some of her other children.
Upon returning to the UK, the woman contacted her local hospital in Britain, raising concerns among doctors who then contacted children's services.
The baby girl, named Eleanor by the media, was taken into foster care after DNA tests revealed no genetic link between Susan and the child or her husband.
The couple provided false documents claiming that the birth had occurred in Nigeria, along with photos and videos supposedly showing Susan in a Nigerian hospital's labor suite.
Investigating the case was Henrietta Coker, an expert social worker with nearly 30 years of experience, who found no records supporting Susan's claims of IVF treatments or giving birth.
Coker also discovered that 'baby farming', or the practice of bringing children from so-called "baby factories" in Nigeria to prospective parents for a fee, is prevalent in West Africa and that at least 200 such facilities have been shut down by Nigerian authorities in recent years.
The judge in the case eventually ruled that baby Eleanor should be placed for adoption and made a declaration of non-parentage for Susan.
The baby's real parents remain unknown, although Coker believes it is likely that more children have been brought unlawfully to the UK from West Africa since the pandemic began.
British authorities have recognized this issue for years, with several cases appearing in the Family Courts over the past 20 years.
The woman, who is Nigerian and had been living in England since June 2023 with her husband and children, claimed she was pregnant and intended to give birth in Nigeria before returning to the UK.
However, scans revealed that she was not actually pregnant, though she insisted on telling her employer that her previous pregnancies had always been invisible on scans.
She also claimed to have been pregnant for up to 30 months with some of her other children.
Upon returning to the UK, the woman contacted her local hospital in Britain, raising concerns among doctors who then contacted children's services.
The baby girl, named Eleanor by the media, was taken into foster care after DNA tests revealed no genetic link between Susan and the child or her husband.
The couple provided false documents claiming that the birth had occurred in Nigeria, along with photos and videos supposedly showing Susan in a Nigerian hospital's labor suite.
Investigating the case was Henrietta Coker, an expert social worker with nearly 30 years of experience, who found no records supporting Susan's claims of IVF treatments or giving birth.
Coker also discovered that 'baby farming', or the practice of bringing children from so-called "baby factories" in Nigeria to prospective parents for a fee, is prevalent in West Africa and that at least 200 such facilities have been shut down by Nigerian authorities in recent years.
The judge in the case eventually ruled that baby Eleanor should be placed for adoption and made a declaration of non-parentage for Susan.
The baby's real parents remain unknown, although Coker believes it is likely that more children have been brought unlawfully to the UK from West Africa since the pandemic began.
British authorities have recognized this issue for years, with several cases appearing in the Family Courts over the past 20 years.
