Mum tries to sell
baby on internet for
£150,000 - and has
two sons taken away The 20-year-old mother, who suffers from
post natal depression and cannot be
named, claimed that the series of
messages on the site were a "silly joke" A young mum has tried to sell her “beautiful”
baby son on the internet for £150,000. Police and social services swooped when
horrified users of the Gumtree classifieds
site called 999. The 20-year-old mother, who suffers from
post natal depression and cannot be
named, claimed that the series of messages
on the site were a “silly joke”. She claimed she had been dared to post it,
but had no intention of going through with
the sale and has been left devastated that
her two sons have been taken away. But in one chilling post on Boxing Day read:
“Baby boy for sale. Comes with everything
included. Deposit needed as sick of time-
wasters.” The full-time mother from Bradford said: “I
had been joking with my ex about selling
sperm and eggs and he sort of dared me to
put up a baby for sale – but I didn’t mean
our children. “I put on Gumtree that I was selling a baby
for £150,000. I just plucked that number out
of thin air and I claimed I was acting as an
agent for a friend. “It was very stupid and I shouldn’t have
done it, but I didn’t think it would be taken
seriously. “I love my boys and they make me so happy
and I want them to be happy. It was just a
silly, silly joke.” She added: “I was crying and begging at this
one social worker’s feet but she just took my
son away. “I am so upset and just want my boys back.
It is my mistake, my stupidity. It should be
me who is locked up, not the boys having to
live with strangers. “I am so sorry. I have not even been allowed
to speak to them on the phone and I don’t
know when I’ll see them again. I hope it is
soon and they can come back to me.” The advert appeared on Thursday evening.
Initially it read: “baby, beautiful for sale
deposit through pay pal email only” and
included a £150,000 price tag. It was later updated to read: “baby boy for
sale comes with everything included deposit
needed as sick of time wasters.” One shocked user who emailed the mother
claimed she replied to say she was selling
the child “because it cries”. When asked if the offer was genuine, the
mother allegedly confirmed it was because
she wouldn’t want to “shatter anyone’s
dreams”. Police yesterday confirmed nobody had
been arrested and that they have passed on
the case to social services. Detective Inspector Vanessa Smith, from
West Yorkshire Police, said: “The child
concerned, who is both fit and well, is being
looked after in conjunction with relatives and
social services. The mother is receiving
appropriate care.” Julie Jenkins, assistant director of children’s
specialist services at Bradford council, said:
“We worked with the police to establish the
safety of the child and we have made sure
the child and the family have appropriate
support.”