The Baby
Snatchers: The Case of "G"
A
newborn baby was illegally snatched from its mother by social workers in the
early hours of the morning of January 30, 2008. Officials claimed the
18-year-old mother was unfit to care for the child because of mental health
problems.
But hours later High Court judge, Mr
Justice Munby, ordered the infant to be returned immediately, saying the social
workers had acted beyond their powers.
A series of articles in British media January 30, 2008 --
Mother
who had baby snatched illegally minutes after birth in line for £20,000 damages
The
young mother whose newborn baby was snatched from her by social workers could
receive up to £20,000 damages.
Lawyers
for Nottingham City Council conceded yesterday that its social services
department had acted illegally in removing the baby boy two hours after his
birth last month.
The
admission means the 18-year-old mother, known only as G, is in line for damages
under the Human Rights Act. Legal sources said she stands to receive up to
£20,000.
Lawyers acting for G were hopeful last night that they can now argue successfully for her to be reunited with her son in a specialist mother-and-baby unit. The little boy, known as K, is currently in foster care and G is allowed to see him for three hours a day, five days a week.
Daily Mail, 18th February 2008
**************
Ruby Harrold-Claesson's comment sent to the Daily Mail
Paying damages isn't enough to
compensate the irreparable damage that has been done. The child is not for
sale. He has been deprived of his mother's milk and the bonding that makes for
a healthy, harmonious child. The social workers put their prestige before the
health and welfare of the child: Judge Munby stopped them so they turned to a
more complacent judge who gave them clearance to take the baby.
Taking a child into care and separating it from its mother ought to be the last
resort after a series of other measures to help the mother and child have been
taken. The social workers should be made to face criminal charges for child
abuse and violation of the mother's and child's basic Human Right to private
and family life (Article 8 ECHR).
February 19, 2008
Teenager to
receive damages after baby was taken
Nottingham City Council has agreed to
pay damages to an 18-year-old mother after it admitted acting unlawfully by
taking away her newborn baby.
The boy
- known as Baby K - was removed by social workers without first obtaining a
court order just hours after he was born.
David
Lock, the council's barrister, told the High Court in Liverpool: "I am
entirely happy to accept that, on behalf of the local authority, it did not
have an agreement from the claimant sufficient to be consent in law."
Independent
Television News Article, February 18, 2008
Teenager
wins damages after council took baby
Nottingham city council today agreed to
pay damages to a teenage mother after admitting it acted unlawfully by taking
away her newborn baby.
The
day after her baby son was taken, the 18-year-old mother – referred to as G -
was reunited with her son after an emergency high court ruling that "on
the face of it" he had been taken away without authority.
But
within days, the council placed the baby – known as K - with a foster family
after a judge at Nottingham county court granted social services an interim
care order.
Judge's
tribute to PA reporter who broke baby-in-care story
The
story of how social workers illegally had a new-born boy removed from his
mother's care by hospital staff – which made front page news this week – only
came to light because a Press Association reporter happened to be sitting in
the Administrative court where the case was heard. In a judgment handed down by
Mr Justice Munby he has paid tribute to court reporter John Aston – and pointed
out that had the case been heard in the Family Court it may never have come to
light.
The
story of how baby "G" was taken unlawfully from his 18-year-old
mother by Nottingham social workers created a predictable media frenzy. It was all
too easy for the Daily Mail and the rest to take their usual line about baby snatchers. But acting up as news editor when the story broke, I was faced with a
quagmire of difficulty in how to cover this case. As the professional social
work magazine, we could not just piggyback on the tabloid spin.
Community
care, 5 February 2008
By Adam Lusher Kevin
Brennan, the Children's Minister, also claimed the controversial national
targets, which have been blamed for a surge in the number of babies removed
from their parents, ended in 2006. Both
claims were dismissed immediately by critics. The Telegraph, 04/02/2008 Judge
returns new-born to social workers for foster placement A
court ruling today returned the child, known only as G, to social workers at
Nottingham City Council two days after the High Court declared the baby had
been unlawfully taken and should be returned to its mother. At
Nottingham County Court, District Judge Richard Inglis said the four-day old
baby should live in local authority foster care while futher enquiries were
made and assessments carried out. Community
care, 2 February 2008 Baby
'snatched' from mother minutes after birth is ordered BACK into foster care Baby
"G's" distraught mother wept as a court ordered he should be taken
away from her again and put into foster care. The 18-year-old, who cannot be
identified for legal reasons, broke down in tears and had to be supported by
two relatives as she received the devastating news. During a three-day
emotional roller-coaster for the mother, her baby has been snatched from her in
hospital by social services two hours after birth, then dramatically returned
to her later that day after a High Court judge ruled the officials had acted
illegally as they did not have a court order. Daily Mail
- 1st February 2008 ************** Finally
a judge with common sense and courage to stop the social workers from harming
that mother and child! No child should be separated from its mother
at birth unless there is serious and imminent risk for the child's health and
life. No one takes a kitten or a puppy from its mother before it is weaned. The
WHO has recommended that nursing babies should not be removed from their
mothers before the age of six (6) months. Yet,
the social workers in Member States of the European Union, take children at
birth or shortly after birth. As
president of the NCHR/NKMR, I have been following the Fran Lyon Case. She had
to flee from England to protect her baby. In
its judgment, Case of K & T v Finland, delivered on 27/04/2000, p 143-146,
and Grand Chamber verdict of 12 July 2001 the European Court of Human Rights
found that the measures taken by the Finnish authorities ie to separate the
child from its mother at birth, were excessive and constituted a violation of
their Human Rights. The
baby snatchers: Now teenage mother faces battle with social services to keep
newborn child By David Wilkes and Fiona Barton A
judge today ordered that a baby which was taken from his mother hours after he
was born - and was then reunited with the distraught 18-year-old - must go into
the care of foster parents while investigations continue. A High Court judge had earlier ruled
that social services acted unlawfully in separating the 18-year-old from her
son just two hours after he was born. But council lawyers made an application
for a care order and the baby was once again due to be handed to foster carers. Daily Mail
- 1st February 2008 Rosemary Bennett, Social Affairs Correspondent A teenage mother will today resume the
battle to keep her newborn baby after social workers made a second attempt to
remove him from her care. The mother, known as G, spent the night in hospital
with her son under close supervision after magistrates yesterday failed to
reach a verdict on whether the boy should be placed with foster parents. The
18-year-old was reunited with her baby on Wednesday after the dramatic
intervention of a High Court judge. In an extraordinary ruling, the judge
ordered that the baby boy born in the early hours of Wednesday morning and
removed by social workers should be returned immediately. Timesonline
- February 1, 2008 MAIL
COMMENT: The shameful secrecy of the adoption system It
seems inconceivable that such things could happen in a modern civilised
country...two hours after giving birth, the young mother was lying in her
hospital bed when officials from Nottingham social services snatched her baby
away. The
damage that this must inflict on the mother, let alone the child, is almost
impossible to conceive. But
what makes the case worse is that the social workers acted without legal
authority. For
the moment, Mr Justice Munby has ordered the child reunited with its mother. But
the really disturbing aspect is that far from being an isolated incident, it
seems to be part of a sinister pattern. Daily Mail
- 31st January 2008 The
baby snatchers: Now teenage mother faces battle with social services to keep
newborn child By David Wilkes and Fiona Barton A
High Court judge had ruled that social services acted unlawfully in separating
the 18-year-old from her son just two hours after he was born. But council
lawyers have now made an application for a care order. The case started in secret before a
district judge yesterday and was adjourned until today without a decision being
made. Daily Mail
- 31st January 2008 The
baby snatchers: Now teenage mother faces battle with social services to keep
newborn child A
teenage mother reunited with her newborn baby by a judge yesterday will today
face a social services application to take the boy away again. The newborn baby
was illegally snatched from its mother by social workers in the early hours of
yesterday morning. Officials
claimed the 18-year-old mother was unfit to care for the child because of
mental health problems. Daily Mail
- 31st January 2008 Mother who won back her baby faces
second battle to keep it By Rosemary Bennett, Social Affairs Correspondent A
teenage mother who was reunited with her newborn baby yesterday thanks to the
intervention of a High Court judge was today facing a second attempt by social
services to remove her child. Nottingham
City Council childrens services have applied for an 'interim care order' which
would mean the baby, born in the early hours of yesterday morning, being placed
with foster parents. The case is currently being heard by the magistrates court
in the city. A newborn
baby was illegally snatched from its mother by social workers in the early
hours of yesterday morning. Officials
claimed the 18-year-old mother was unfit to care for the child because of
mental health problems. But
hours later a High Court judge ordered the infant to be returned immediately,
saying the social workers had acted beyond their powers. Mr
Justice Munby told the officials that they "should have known
better". Daily Mail
- January 30, 2008 Guilty
of child abuse! (Well, our version.) By Ben Leapman and Andrew Alderson Family
courts are the B-side of the law Mother wins
fight to get her baby back Save a life - shoot a social worker
writes Nina Jacobs
An 18-year-old mother who lost her legal battle to
keep her newborn baby from being taken by Nottingham social services may have
to wait months to find out what part she can play in his care.
Ruby Harrold-Claesson's comment published on the Daily Mail
February 1, 2008
Shortlived
joy for teenager whose baby was taken away
A mother faces having her newborn baby taken into care again today for
the second time in 72 hours.Timesonline - January 31, 2008
The
baby snatchers: Judge orders social workers to hand back newborn child taken
from hospital at 4am
By
David Wilkes
By Camilla Cavendish
YouTube
Row over Social Services Baby Threat
By Ben Leapman
MP
bids to lift secrecy in family courts
The
Rank Hypocrisy of Family Court Judges
By Camilla Cavendish
Forced Adoption
Back to Articles
Back to Main