Mom puts baby on Gumtree for £150,000 on Boxing Day - two sons get taken into care

Daqster

Mother ‘tried to sell baby’ with Gumtree advert asking for £150,000

A young woman who apparently tried to sell her baby on the classifieds website Gumtree has had her children taken away by social services.

The unnamed 20-year-old from Bradford posted an advert offering to sell a four-month-old baby boy for £150,000, adding he “comes with everything included” and “deposit needed as sick of time wasters”.

Initially posted on Boxing Day under the heading “baby for sale”, the advert has since been taken down by Gumtree.

Yet that wasn’t before it had received scores of complaints, and a number of users also contacted the police. The woman was tracked down and her two boys were removed from her care by social workers.

Detective Inspector Vanessa Smith told the Bradford Telegraph and Argus: “We are aware of this matter and the child concerned, who is both fit and well, is now being looked after in conjunction with relatives and social services.

“The mother is receiving appropriate care and support at this time.”

While no criminal charges are expected, local children’s services councillor Ralph Berry said the case was “breathtaking”.

He said: “It is shocking to hear about, but the priority has to be the welfare of the child, that’s what the law says.”

Last night the woman, a single mother, spoke about how a “silly, silly joke” had led to police officers coming to her house to take away her children.

She told the Mail: “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.”

I think this is a little bit of an overreaction. I know authorities have to mindful of protecting children but surely they also have to allow for stupidity too. We live in a age where people instead of joking aloud, will post that joke online instead.

I can remember my parents saying that they'd sell me to the circus if I didn't stop climbing on top of the shed. Perhaps if it was today they might put an ad up on Gumtree to wind me up.

Am I wrong here? Did they do the right thing or have they overreacted a little, as I feel they have?

darkpagandeath

wont somebody think of the children.....

Frosty McSnowballs

Swap for anything in my ads?

aidoh

St. Stephen's Day.

Frosty McSnowballs

aidoh wrote: »

St. Stephen's Day.

Boxing Day....this happened in the UK

Days 298

Bit of an overreaction. Obviously a joke with the sick of time-wasters bit.

Once saw a 22 year old IT graduate for sale on donedeal a good while back for €200 "who's handy with tools ;-)" and more stuff along those lines.Wonder if it was legit now....

Considering we've ads like this, what an overreaction

Yawns

aidoh wrote: »

St. Stephen's Day.

There's always one...

smcgiff

I think the authorities are right to take the ad at face value.

Imagine if something did happen to the kids... 'But they knew the mother put an ad on the paper selling her kid and yet they did nothing about it!'

I can easily believe people would sell their kid for £150k and be dumb enough to try gumtree.

Days 298

aidoh wrote: »

St. Stephen's Day.

They took our religion outta the holidays!!

Days 298

Days 298 wrote: »

Bit of an overreaction. Obviously a joke with the sick of time-wasters bit.

Yeah that kind of gave it away for me too.

hotbabe1992

I think the mindset of her must not be right though putting a child up on gumtree for 150 k what if somebody actually replied to the ad in a serious manner and wanted to take the child.

I wonder was she half joking half not?You know?


Some peoples minds work in funny ways..I wonder on some level was she frustrated with her child..


I will reserve judgement on it until i know the full context of it..

dodderangler

Absolute Mint baby for sale.

Frosty McSnowballs

dodderangler wrote: »

Absolute Mint baby for sale.

No placenta kickers!

mike65

aidoh wrote: »

St. Stephen's Day.

Senor Fancy Pants wrote: »

Boxing Day....this happened in the UK

Mum or Mam - it happened in the UK

Seriously, what's with this Mom business in Ireland?

Days 298

mike65 wrote: »

Mum or Mam - it happened in the UK

Seriously, what's with this Mom business in Ireland?

The vocabulary police are in town.

Bipolar Joe

hotbabe1992 wrote: »

I think the mindset of her must not be right though putting a child up on gumtree for 150 k what if somebody actually replied to the ad in a serious manner and wanted to take the child.

I wonder was she half joking half not?You know?

No.

hotbabe1992

It said near the bottom of the article she was joking around with her ex...

Frosty McSnowballs

Days 298 wrote: »

The vocabulary police are in town.

Bobbies not police :pac:

Dude111

Daqster wrote:

Am I wrong here? Did they do the right thing or have they overreacted a little, as I feel they have?

Yes I think they did BUT SHE IS UNSTABLE!!!!!

Why would anyone even THINK TO DO THIS??

I hope the kids find people WHO REALLY LOVE THEM!! (I dont think its her)

Daqster

mike65 wrote: »

Seriously, what's with this Mom business in Ireland?

Well, can only speak for myself but in American Pie, I fancied Stifler's Mom and I also liked the Mom in the video for the song Stacy's Mom.

So started using it ever since. Damn, thought it made me sound transatlantic and windswept.

cantdecide

Daqster wrote: »

So started using it ever since. Damn, thought it made me sound transatlantic and windswept.

Way to go.

PizzamanIRL

That'll be the next thing Mammy's say when they want their kids to do something

"Clean that room of yours or I'll sell ya"

Annasopra

Oh...

I thought it was another Daily Mail article

PizzamanIRL

If that's all it takes for the social to take your kids from you I'd say some evil child could make an account in their parents name and put up an ad like that.

catallus

It appears that she did it as a silly joke, by her own admission.

Still it is understandable that the authorities stepped in; if everyone started with silly jokes like that it could be used as cover for people who actually do sell and buy people online.

frozenfrozen

mint condition baby one genuine lady owner

Annasopra

catallus wrote: »

It appears that she did it as a silly joke, by her own admission.

Still it is understandable that the authorities stepped in; if everyone started with silly jokes like that it could be used as cover for people who actually do sell and buy people online.

Do you think humans are really bought and sold on gumtree?

cantdecide

mango salsa wrote: »

Do you think humans are really bought and sold on gumtree?

I get mine on ebaby

catallus

mango salsa wrote: »

Do you think humans are really bought and sold on gumtree?

No but if you had 50 people on gumtree putting up such offers as jokes then it could be used as cover for actual traffickers, I think.

PizzamanIRL

If she didn't get caught would it still have been a silly joke?

PizzamanIRL

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

If she didn't get caught would it still have been a silly joke?

Yes

systemicrisk

Dude111 wrote: »

Yes I think they did BUT SHE IS UNSTABLE!!!!!

Why would anyone even THINK TO DO THIS??

I hope the kids find people WHO REALLY LOVE THEM!! (I dont think its her)

Dude we dont have enough info to tell whether or not she is unstable or not. It may have just been a joke. Stupid alright but not necessarily serious.

J_E

Must be more to the story than that if social welfare got involved. Despite what some people think they don't just take kids away for the hell of it.

smcgiff

Oh, she said it was a joke. Ah, okay case closed. :rolleyes:

shruikan2553

Everyone knows you dont buy babies. They advertise them as being great but they have cheap kidneys. I always order the parts online and build it myself, better quality and works out cheaper. I tend to have a spare personality operating system lying around anyway.

Wonder if she would take 20 and deliver. I could swap out a few parts and sell it on for a profit.

the_syco

Considering some women have auctioned their virginity off, I would't really doubt it.

Also, sometimes it could also be a case where the child may not be theirs.

J_E

the_syco wrote: »

Considering some women have auctioned their virginity off, I would't really doubt it.

Also, sometimes it could also be a case where the child may not be theirs.

Now that's really freaky! :eek:

darkpagandeath

Cydoniac wrote: »

Must be more to the story than that if social welfare got involved. Despite what some people think they don't just take kids away for the hell of it.

something something blond hair blue eye children taken.....

camel jockey

darkpagandeath wrote: »

something something blond hair blue eye children taken.....

You mean the case of the Romanians in Greece?

darkpagandeath

camel jockey wrote: »

You mean the case of the Romanians in Greece?

No the 2 kids taken here

camel jockey

darkpagandeath wrote: »

No the 2 kids taken here

Indeed. Better safe than sorry, that's what I always say, particularly after the Greek case of the Romanian selling the kid to the other Romanians.

Mint Aero

Sounds funny to me fair play to her

GoAheadCaller

"err yea... a joke... that's what it was mr policeman... cough."

Limecube

Total overreaction. In other news, 3 kids at 20 years old, ffs.

WilyCoyote

aidoh wrote: »

St. Stephen's Day.

Senor Fancy Pants wrote: »

Boxing Day....this happened in the UK

Yawns wrote: »

There's always one...

Rubbish! It's the Wren Day

anncoates

Let's face it, There's been times I'd have given somebody 150k to them away.

camel jockey

Limecube wrote: »

Total overreaction. In other news, 3 kids at 20 years old, ffs.

Not sure whether she had 2 or 3. Single mum also by all accounts. Not sure if she works or if she has council funded accommodation. Also not sure whether the kids all have different fathers or whether the father(s) contribute maintenance etc.

A lot of questions remain unanswered.

anncoates

camel jockey wrote: »

Not sure whether she had 2 or 3. Single mum also by all accounts. Not sure if she works or if she has council funded accommodation. Also not sure whether the kids all have different fathers or whether the father(s) contribute maintenance etc.

A lot of questions remain unanswered.

They're not so much questions as glaringly sneaky insinuations used to make a general point.

darkpagandeath

camel jockey wrote: »

Indeed. Better safe than sorry, that's what I always say, particularly after the Greek case of the Romanian selling the kid to the other Romanians.

Taking biological children off biological parents just because they don't look like them ? That's better safe than sorry ? Funny that they left the other kids with suspected kidnappers was it not .... Nothing to do with safe than sorry. Was the HSE jumping on a band waggon looking to get loads of praise for saving poor kidnapped children... Going for the nuclear option when it was clearly not needed and then looking like fools when the children turned out to be biological related to the parents..

camel jockey

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Taking biological children off biological parents just because they don't look like them ? That's better safe than sorry ? Funny that they left the other kids with suspected kidnappers was it not .... Nothing to do with safe than sorry. Was the HSE jumping on a band waggon looking to get loads of praise for saving poor kidnapped children... Going for the nuclear option when it was clearly not needed and then looking like fools when the children turned out to be biological related to the parents..

Was the Romanian kid in Greece the biological child? Would it have been better to leave her be?

My understanding of the main case in Ireland was that the parents gave false / misleading information about the date of birth that the Gardaí were unable to verify, and the parents were unable to supply valid documentation.

For the other case in Ireland, was the child even taken from the parents?