Woman tricked into believing she had given birth is granted custody of baby

A High Court judge has raised concerns about "desperate childless parents" being caught up in "strange" baby-selling scams in Africa.



 Mr Justice Coleridge said there was evidence that women were going to Nigeria seeking fertility treatment then being sold unwanted babies "for very substantial sums of money" after fraudsters had tricked them into thinking they had become pregnant and given birth.

He said there was more than one case "featuring almost identical facts" before English courts, described the situation as "very serious" and questioned the "lack of involvement" of Nigerian authorities.

The judge raised concerns after awarding one couple who had fallen victim to such a scam, custody of the baby they had believed was theirs.

Mr Justice Coleridge, sitting in the Family Division of the High Court, said the case - involving a Nigerian couple from London - was "very worrying" and gave rise to "very real public interest".

"This is a very serious situation," he said.

Source: The Telegraph