London Mother Jailed for Trying to Sell Baby

A 29-year-old woman from London has been convicted and sentenced to seven years of jail time for attempting to sell her 11-month-old baby for £35,000 ($57,665) back in September of last year.

Asad Ali, an associate of a 48-year-old estate agent whose name has been withheld, tipped off reporters from News of the World after hearing from the estate agent that a baby was for sale. The reporters set up a sting operation in conjunction with local police at the Viking hotel located in east London.

The mother, whose name has also been withheld for legal reasons, believed she was about to sell her baby to a childless couple at the hotel, with the 48-year-old estate agent acting as a broker for the deal. After the exchange had taken place, police located in an adjoining room arrested the woman and she was charged with conspiracy to commit child cruelty and holding another person in slavery.

The woman was found guilty of both charges in April of this year at Inner London Crown Court and has since been sentenced to serve seven years behind bars.

“No one, not even a parent, is allowed to own another person. You may think that there is no better example of treating someone as if you own them than by deciding, or seeking or agreeing to sell them,” said prosecutor Christopher Foulkes during the trial. “And by doing this in relation to this child, these defendants held her in slavery.”

via The Guardian