Border officers saw a couple behaving oddly with a baby - and uncovered a mystery
Something did not sit right with Border Force officers. One worried the relationship between the three was "not genuine".
Officers pulled the couple for questioning. The man, Raphael Ossai, claimed to be the girl's father.
He handed them a birth certificate for the baby, which showed his travelling companion, Oluwakemi Olasanoye, as the child's mother.
But officers found a second birth certificate, hidden in the lining of the couple's luggage. It named another woman, Raphael's British wife, as the little girl's mother.
It was the start of a mystery that remains unsolved - the little girl's true identity is still not fully known.
What we do know is the child is not related to any of the adults. The girl, who we are calling Lucy, seems to have been born in rural Nigeria in September 2022, and given to an orphanage when she was just three days old.
The couple who carried her to the UK, Ossai and Olasanoye, pleaded guilty to immigration offences and were sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by deportation.
Now Lucy has been in care in Manchester for nearly two years. The Nigerian High Commission did not engage in depth with the case despite multiple requests from the High Court.
For the last nine months the High Court in Manchester has been trying to find out who Lucy really is, as it decides what her future should be.
The court heard that on June 20 2023, Ossai and Olasanoye unlawfully brought Lucy to the UK from Lagos, via Addis Ababa. Olasanoye had a visa to work in the UK and agreed to travel with Ossai and Lucy.
When the couple were sentenced in criminal court, it was believed that Lucy was the child of Ossai and his Nigerian-born British wife.
Ossai met his British wife in Kenya and married her in Nigeria in 2017 – but he had never been to the UK. When he applied for a visitor's visa, he was turned down due to financial circumstances.
At the time of sentencing, the judge said the "principal motive for this offence" was to bring the bring the baby to the UK so him and his British wife could live as a "family" with Lucy.
However during the High Court hearing, DNA tests proved Lucy is not related either of the adults.
Documents presented to the court said that she had been born to a young student in rural Nigeria, who was not able to care for her. Her father was not known.
The papers indicated the mother had voluntarily relinquished Lucy to an orphanage.
Ossai and his British wife said they had been looking for a little girl to adopt, and he collected Lucy when she was a tiny baby.
The couple had permission to foster the little girl but not to adopt her or take her out of Nigeria.
Ossai, a music producer, took Lucy to a small flat in the Nigerian capital Lagos where he looked after her for the next nine months.
He told the court he had cared for the baby well – that he had fed her properly, played her music, and kept her safe.
But a social worker from the Children and Family Court Advisory Service CAFCASS said she believed Lucy had been neglected, underfed and under stimulated.
She had met the little girl when she was just over a year old, in October 2023.
"It was really sad when I met her," a social worker told the court.
Giving evidence, she said it was as though the child did not realise "she was actually a person".
"She was so lost, and not really present… she just felt so alone yet she was surrounded by people," she added.
During an observation session, the social worker said Lucy became very "panicky" when her foster carer stood up to leave the room.
She also displayed an "extreme cry" that was "very difficult to soothe".
When asked whether Lucy could have been traumatised by the flight or by her transfer to care, the social worker said she believes it is unlikely that alone was to blame.
She added that if Lucy had developed a secure attachment to Ossai, that would have been transferred to her foster carer.
The judge said the child lacked "basic parental attachment" but did not make a finding on the cause.
"I am sure that her being brought into this country illegally and thus separated from her carers is bound to be a significant factor," he said.
Although Ossai has been sentenced to be deported, he and his British wife asked the High Court to assess them to care for Lucy.
Ossai said that he thought of Lucy as his daughter. His lawyers said that as the Nigerian authorities had approved him as her foster parent, the English court had no power to take her away.
Lucy had always been happy with him, Ossai said, and he thought taking her into care had upset her, especially placing her with white foster carers.
"The white may be strange to her," he added. "When they took her from me I saw the way she was looking at them."
His lawyers raised concerns that if Lucy were adopted by a white family, she would lose her cultural identity.
Ossai's British wife said Lucy "is like that precious gift that I desired so much".
She told the High Court she would do "anything and everything" for her, adding "I see her as my child".
Both broke down and cried in court when they talked about the little girl.
The High Court Judge hearing the case, Sir Jonathan Cohen, rejected Ossai and his British wife's application to be assessed to care for Lucy.
He said the lies they had told and the actions they had taken, especially moving Lucy from Nigeria, had "inevitably caused her very significant emotional harm".
Lucy has been placed with several different foster carers and is residing in at least her third new home since her arrival in the UK. In April, the judge ordered she be placed for adoption in the UK and that her name be changed.
He said that Lucy "needs to have the best opportunities going forward in the world", and that can "only be done in a placement in an alternative family".
The judge added that she would be provided with "background" about her heritage and told what happened in her past.
He found that Ossai and his British wife had a genuine desire to adopt Lucy.
Julian Bild, an immigration lawyer for anti-trafficking charity Atleu, said in circumstances where a woman is a UK national and a child is a UK national via adoption or otherwise, "it is likely the family would be allowed to stay here".
It is possible for a child to receive British citizenship if they are brought to and physically adopted in the UK, he said.
But he added that it is "very, very unlikely that a Nigerian could simply adopt a child to improve their immigration situation and get away with it because that would be pretty transparent".
"A person seeking to bring a child to the UK for the purpose of adoption would first need to get a Certificate of Eligibility from the UK government before being able to do so.
"The genuineness for all of this to happen is obviously looked at very closely by the family courts, social workers and experts to ensure the arrangement is in the best interests of the child."
The Home Office said it could not comment on individual cases and therefore could not clarify whether Ossai and Olasanoye had been removed from the UK.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that we will do everything to make sure they are not free to roam Britain's streets, including removing them from the UK at the earliest possible opportunity.
"Since the election we've removed 3,594 foreign criminals, a 16% increase on the same period 12 months prior."
The Nigerian High Commission did not respond to our requests for comment.
'I had to protect my child from her paedophile dad'
A mum's 'remarkable turnaround' to win her baby back
'Pregnant' for 15 months: Inside the 'miracle' fertility scam
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
21 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Two pubs claim to be London's oldest riverside pub. Which one is right?
The Mayflower is named after the Pilgrim Mayflower ship, which set sail from the site in 1620 to begin its journey to America. Though it only got its name in 1957, it is said to have some of the ship's original timbers incorporated into its structure. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Today, pubgoers who can prove direct descent from one of the Mayflower passengers can sign its 'Descendants Book.' Advertisement Every night, tourists step out of black cabs at the doors of the two pubs, trading the capital's modern skyscrapers for the storied streets of London's East End, lined with quaint terraced houses and red brick warehouses. In both pubs, they enter spaces where old paintings hanging on dark paneled walls and other mementos of their histories seem to leave the contemporary world behind. 'There really is a feeling that you might have stepped back in time and could be drinking beer with sailors or pirates or anybody from any Dickens novels really,' said Emily Godwin, a Londoner who has been to both. She spoke while sipping a pint of lager with friends at the Prospect on a recent summer evening. Advertisement The Prospect boasts a pewter bar — the longest of its kind in Britain — where the infamous 'Hanging Judge Jeffreys' is said to have watched the many hangings that took place at the nearby 'Execution Dock.' Early on, the pub was known as the Devil's Tavern due to its association with thieves and smugglers. A hanging noose outside serves as a reminder of the pub's grisly history. It 'feels like such a pocket of history in London,' Godwin said. 'So much of London's East End feels very new and trendy, and the Prospect feels like it's barely changed.' British pubs have always been at the center of social life, with locals coming together over a pint, even in times of war and economic hardship. But the last five years have been challenging for the industry as pubs contended with the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs. This year, an estimated 378 venues are set to shutter across England, Wales, and Scotland, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. 'When a pub closes, it puts people out of a job, deprives communities of their heart and soul, and hurts the local economy,' said Emma McClarkin, head of the BBPA. Pubs across the country have been forced to find new ways to attract customers. History is a big draw for pubgoers, with a trip to a traditional British pub coming in high on tourists' London bucket lists, raising the stakes of the Prospect and the Mayflower's competition. Advertisement The Prospect claims it was established in 1520, with its original flagstone surviving an arson attack in 1666 — the same year as the Great Fire of London. The pub was outside of the city limits at that time and was not affected by the conflagration that gutted the medieval city. Justin Billington, assistant manager at the Prospect, said some people date the pub to its full reconstruction in 1774 after the 1666 fire. But he doesn't see it that way, noting that it operated continuously. The day after the fire, the workers rolled out a barrel of beer that had survived the flames, and locals showed up with their tankards, drinking vessels, and enjoyed a drink on the spot. There were several reconstructions in the pub's subsequent history, but none withstood the salt water and shifting foundations of the Thames, Billington explained. Not, that is, until 1774 when the retired captain of a merchant ship called 'The Prospect' rebuilt it using the ship. 'This rebuild held and continues to hold on for dear life,' he said. If the pub was actually established in 1774, that would make the Mayflower — established in the 16th century — older. But there are no hard feelings between the pubs as Billington described their competition as a 'loving rivalry.' 'We compete against each other to be the oldest, and to serve the best food and drink,' he said. But the question remains: How can either pub definitively claim the title? Unlike the title of the 'Oldest pub in England,' held by the Porch House in southern England, which is said to date to the 10th century, there is no official certification for the oldest pub in London. Advertisement Guinness World Records said it has not formally awarded the title because of the complexities created by numerous name changes, relocations, and reconstructions. 'There are lots of very old pubs that might make a claim to being oldest, but it could be contested because it could be argued they weren't always in 'London,'' English historian and author Jacob Field said. 'Many pubs have changed name over time, making it hard to claim they are the oldest.'
Hamilton Spectator
36 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Appeals judges order ICC prosecutor to recuse himself from Venezuela investigation
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court on Friday ordered chief prosecutor Karim Khan to recuse himself from an investigation into Venezuela, citing a conflict of interest. Khan's sister-in-law, international criminal lawyer Venkateswari Alagendra, has been part of a team representing the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the five-judge appeals panel at the ICC says her involvement creates an issue of 'bias' for the prosecutor. The British barrister, who is currently on leave from the court , stepped down temporarily pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. Alagendra and Khan worked together previously on cases, including as defense counsel for Kenyan President William Ruto and for Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Alagendra is the sister of Khan's wife, human rights lawyer Shyamala Alagendra. The Washington-based Arcadia Foundation, which focuses on human rights issues in Venezuela, filed a complaint with the court in 2024, asking for Khan to be removed from the case over a conflict of interest. The court dismissed the initial complaint in February. In written filings, Khan told the court he could not 'recall' any discussion with his sister-in-law about the facts of the case and did not attend any meetings where she was present. The ICC has an ongoing investigation into violence that followed Venezuela's 2017 election but has so far not sought any arrest warrants. Khan announced in late 2021 that he was opening the investigation after a lengthy preliminary probe and an official referral — a request to investigate — in 2018 from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru. However, the full-scale investigation was put on hold when Venezuelan authorities said they wanted to take over the case. The ICC is a court of last resort that only takes on cases when national authorities are unwilling or unable to investigate, a system known as complementarity. Khan pressed ahead with efforts to continue the court's first investigation in Latin America. ICC judges agreed with Khan and authorized him to resume investigations in Venezuela in 2023 . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Ghislaine Maxwell joins famous prisoners in move to Texas prison camp
Maxwell joins Theranos founder and fellow vegan Elizabeth Holmes in the less restrictive prisonl Ghislaine Maxwell joined Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and celebrity housewife Jen Shah at a federal prison camp in Texas this week. The government hasn't said why they transferred the convicted sex trafficker and confidante to Jeffrey Epstein from a low-security prison in Florida to a less restrictive minimum-security prison near Texas A & M University. The former British socialite, 63, is one of the most powerful prisoners in American history. The transfer comes as Maxwell's attorneys are pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her conviction while also seeking a pardon or commutation for her from President Donald Trump in exchange for her cooperation in the Epstein investigation and broader sex trafficking matters. Maxwell spent two days last week talking to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche – Trump's former personal defense lawyer – at a courthouse near the Tallahassee prison where she was serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking linked to Epstein. Officials would only confirm that they had transferred Maxwell to the federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, not why. Typically, prisoners are moved due to a change in supervisory or medical needs or as a security measure to keep an inmate safe, says Donald Murphy, a Bureau of Prisons spokesman. Moving from a low-security to a minimum-security prison typically provides more freedom within the prison. This could mean more free time for recreational activities or work. Minimum-security facilities typically house nonviolent, first-time offenders or those who have worked their way down from a higher-security prison due to good behavior, according to a prison consultant. Ghislaine Maxwell From a life of privilege to prison Maxwell attorney David Oscar Markus told USA TODAY that 'Ghislaine was moved to Bryan, Texas, but we have no other comment' as to why the transfer was made and who requested it. Both facilities are federal prisons. The Texas prison is slightly smaller and holds about 600 women. Low-security prisons typically serve people sentenced to 10 years or less, making Maxwell an exception. Her release date is 2037. In Florida, Maxwell taught yoga and etiquette classes and worked in the library. The Texas facility holds a call center that employs inmates. It also offers classes such as horticulture and plumbing and cosmetology. The cosmetology may include massage. Maxwell's convictions came from her recruitment of underage girls to give Epstein massages. He then sexually abused them. Holmes, who is serving an 11-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy linked to the collapse of Theranos, earns 31 cents an hour helping soon-to-be released women write résumés and apply for government benefits at the Texas prison camp, according to an article in People magazine. Holmes has been able to keep a mostly vegan diet in prison. Maxwell is also a vegan, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lobbied to ensure that she had vegan meals in prison. Josh Meyer contributed to this report.
