The Deception Unfolds
- The woman, referred to as “Susan,” falsely claimed she was pregnant while living in West Yorkshire.
- After a trip to Nigeria, she returned with a baby—claiming the child was hers—despite medical evidence showing no pregnancy .
- Customs officials arrested her at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of human trafficking.
DNA Reveals the Truth
- DNA testing revealed no biological link between the woman, her husband, and the baby, dubbed “Eleanor.”
- Susan later claimed she’d undergone IVF with donor egg and sperm to explain the mismatch, but the story unraveled under scrutiny.
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Investigation Exposes “Baby Factories”
- A Family Court-appointed social worker visited the Nigerian clinic mentioned in the documents. It turned out to be a rundown flat posing as a hospital.
- Staff admitted the baby was real, but the mother in the photos wasn’t Susan .
- Experts say the case may be linked to “baby factories,” criminal setups where infants are illicitly obtained and sold—sometimes tied to trafficking networks .
A Broader Concern for UK Authorities
- This is one among several cases where children appear to have been unlawfully brought into the UK using falsified documents and smuggled across borders ().
- Between 2011 and 2025, multiple UK rulings have prompted tighter measures, including DNA tests for newborns entering from certain countries.
- Social workers warn of a widening trend of baby trafficking from West Africa and other parts of the Global South.
