British couple jailed for attempting to sell baby to undercover reporter

[News_Editor]

British couple jailed for attempting to sell baby to undercover reporter

2011-05-28 01:35:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- A British man and a woman who attempted to sell an 11-month-old child to an undercover reporter were jailed on Friday for a total of 16 years following the first conviction of its kind under the country's new legislation relating to slavery, Scotland Yard said.

The 48-year-old man and 29-year-old woman, both of London, were sentenced on Friday at Inner London Crown Court under legislation covered by the Coroners and Justice Act 2010, which makes it illegal to hold another person in slavery.

The two were also prosecuted for conspiracy to commit cruelty to a person under 16 years of age after they were found guilty of their offences at an earlier appearance on April 12 of this year.

The sentences follow an investigation by detectives from the Scotland Yard's Child Abuse Investigation Command after information was passed to them by the News of the World newspaper.

According to the investigation, in September 2010, the 48-year-old man told a friend he wanted to sell a child he claimed was his daughter, for financial gain. This friend subsequently contacted the News of the World and a meeting was arranged with the man and woman, along with two reporters posing as a prospective couple wanting to purchase the child.

After a number of meetings and phone calls, the defendants agreed to a price of 35,000 pounds ($57,600) for the baby. Of this amount, 25,000 pounds ($41,100) would go to the woman, while 10,000 pounds ($16,400) would go to the man. At this point, the News of the World contacted police.

Detectives soon began investigating those involved and spoke to the friend who had been acting as the intermediary. He informed officers that the meeting for payment had been arranged for September 22, 2010 at a hotel in London.

On that date, police said, the man and woman handed over the baby to undercover reporters after accepting the cash sum to which was earlier agreed. Officers then swooped on the room and the pair were arrested on suspicion of child neglect.

The child was taken into police protection and with the assistance of social services, taken to a place of safety. The child's relationship to the couple was not known.

On Friday, the man was sentenced to nine years in prison for conspiracy to commit cruelty to a person under 16 years of age. He was also sentenced to nine years in prison, which will run concurrently, for holding another person in slavery.

The woman was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to commit cruelty to a person under 16 years of age. She was also given seven years, to run concurrently, for holding another person in slavery.

"This was an appalling case where individuals have attempted to sell a vulnerable child for their own personal gain and with no consideration whatsoever for her safety and future," said Detective Chief Superintendent Gordon Briggs, head of the Child Abuse Investigation Command. "We thank the News of the World for bringing this case to our attention and we are indebted to our partners in Newham Social Services who joined us in a fast moving operation to recover the victim and remove her to safety."

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