Woman smuggled baby into UK using fake birth story

 

In a deeply troubling case, a Nigerian woman referred to as "Susan" was arrested at Gatwick Airport in the summer of 2024 after returning from Nigeria with a newborn baby girl, Eleanor. Susan had previously told her UK GP that she was pregnant, despite medical tests showing she wasn’t. She later claimed she gave birth in Nigeria, providing forged documents and staged photographs.

DNA tests revealed that neither Susan nor her husband were related to Eleanor. After a second test confirmed this, Susan changed her story, citing IVF with donor egg and sperm. A Family Court investigation, led by expert social worker Henrietta Coker, exposed that Susan likely obtained the baby from a so-called “baby factory” in Nigeria a notorious practice involving the sale of infants, often from trafficked or abused young girls.

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Coker’s fieldwork uncovered forged hospital documents and a facility masquerading as a clinic staffed by teenagers. Messages on Susan’s phone referenced payment for "delivery drugs" and "hospital bills," further indicating a baby purchase arrangement.

In a March 2025 hearing, the Family Court ruled that Susan and her husband had orchestrated an elaborate hoax to smuggle a child into the UK. The judge condemned their dishonesty, stating they caused “significant emotional and psychological harm” to baby Eleanor and misled authorities with forged evidence.

Despite pleas from Susan’s legal team to return Eleanor, the court ordered her to be adopted and issued a formal “declaration of non-parentage.” The judge acknowledged the emotional toll but emphasized the child’s right to safety, stability, and truth.

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Eleanor, now living with foster carers, is reported to be thriving. Upon adoption, she will receive a new identity and British nationality, though her true parentage may remain unknown.

Experts warn this case reflects a wider pattern of baby trafficking into the UK from West Africa, with clinics offering illegal “baby packages” for thousands of pounds. Since 2021, adoptions from Nigeria have been restricted due to organized trafficking concerns.