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'You deliberately trafficked the child'
A JUDGE has branded the woman who smuggled a baby into Britain to get a council flat a "stranger to the truth".
Nigerian-born Peace Sandberg, 40, of West Ealing, was jailed for 26 months yesterday for trafficking the child into the UK.
Isleworth Crown Court heard she had gone straight to Ealing Council to demand a flat and benefits after getting off the plane from Nigeria, where police believe she had bought the baby for £150.
Sandberg was evicted from her previous home when her Swedish husband divorced her in 2000, and later took their daughter with him to his native country.
Sentencing her, Judge Sam Kathkuda said: "What you did was pre-planned and pre-meditated before you went to Nigeria.
"You deliberately and fraudulently trafficked the child into this country knowing that you were going to use that child for obtaining housing and other benefits because you had a young child with you.
"In my judgement you are a person who is manipulative and stranger to the truth."
But as he passed sentence, Sandberg sobbed and pleaded: "I've never lied in my life."
However, it took a jury just 40 minutes to convict Sandberg after hearing the evidence against her last month.
The court heard she had rented a home after her husband had left the country, but had been evicted in May 2006.
The council decided she had made herself intentionally homeless but agreed to give her temporary hostel accomodation for five months because they believed her daughter was living with her.
However, social services subsequently discovered her daughter was living with her father in Europe, and started eviction proceedings.
The court heard that, having sent cash to Nigeria, Sandberg flew out of the country in November 2006 to pick up the baby.
After successfully applying for a visa for the child from British diplomats, she flew back.
Landing at Heathrow Airport with the three-month-old baby, she went straight to meet council officers at the authority's homeless person's unit.
The scam was revealed when she was met by the same officer who had dealt with her two months earlier.
He knew she was lying about the baby's identity because she had not been pregnant when he last saw her.
Subsequently Lizette Reddy, a council housing officer interviewed Sandberg.
She told the court: "I asked her three times 'who's baby is this?' And she said 'It's mine'.
"I understood she had come straight to the council offices from the airport."
Sandberg then claimed she sent money abroad to look after the boy. She told Ms Reddy it was her dead cousin's son and she wanted to care for him.
But Ms Reddy told the court Sandberg had repeatedly told her the baby was hers.
She said: "One minute she tells me something, the next minute she tells me something else."
Officers called the police and Sandberg was arrested.
Detective Inspector Gordon Valentine, who head's the Met's anti-child trafficking Paladin unit, said: "It is quite shocking what she did.
"She took a child from an environment and brought it with her and exploited that child for benefits.
"The child is going to grow up not knowing anything about his own culture or even his own parents. She has given no assistance to help us to discover the child's identitity."
Police have not been able to identify the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to return him to his parents in Nigeria.
A decision on whether to deport Sandberg, who has dual Swedish and Nigerian nationality, will be made after she has served her sentence.
What do you think of the sentence? Leave your comments below.
2:02pm Saturday 17th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Malcolm, London on 11:54pm Sat 17 May 08
This disgusting, fraudulent immigrant should be deported and NEVER ALLOWED BACK IN THIS COUNTRY. She has forfeited any right to live in our country. Not only has she ruthlessly exploited an innocent young baby and removed him from his natural home and family but she has abused the hospitality of the decent hard working, honest British tax payers. We work long hours and pay our taxes and this money should not be spent on giving publicly subsidised council homes to immigrants who have not paid into the system and just expect to get benefits for nothing. British born people who have paid taxes all their working lives struggle very hard to afford housing. Why should newcomers get it for nothing?
This disgusting, fraudulent immigrant should be deported and NEVER ALLOWED BACK IN THIS COUNTRY. She has forfeited any right to live in our country. Not only has she ruthlessly exploited an innocent young baby and removed him from his natural home and family but she has abused the hospitality of the decent hard working, honest British tax payers. We work long hours and pay our taxes and this money should not be spent on giving publicly subsidised council homes to immigrants who have not paid into the system and just expect to get benefits for nothing. British born people who have paid taxes all their working lives struggle very hard to afford housing. Why should newcomers get it for nothing?
Posted by: Croyboy on 9:14am Sun 18 May 08
Purely by chance the truth was discovered in this case, but how many others [italic]don't[/italic] we know about?
And "A decision on whether to deport Sandberg, who has dual Swedish and Nigerian nationality, will be made after she has served her sentence."? [italic]What[/italic] "decision"? ...She should be kicked out automatically.
Purely by chance the truth was discovered in this case, but how many others
don't we know about?
And "A decision on whether to deport Sandberg, who has dual Swedish and Nigerian nationality, will be made after she has served her sentence."?
What "decision"? ...She should be kicked out automatically.
Posted by: Brent, London on 3:09am Tue 20 May 08
Never lied in her life, eh? A quick DNA test should prove that. Maybe it'll shed some light on the baby's family as well. As a civilised society it is our duty to do what we can to reunite the kid with his true parents.
As far as Peace is concerned, she can peace off.
Never lied in her life, eh? A quick DNA test should prove that. Maybe it'll shed some light on the baby's family as well. As a civilised society it is our duty to do what we can to reunite the kid with his true parents.
As far as Peace is concerned, she can peace off.
Posted by: Croyboy on 2:16am Wed 21 May 08
Brent said [quote]Maybe it'll shed some light on the baby's family as well.[/quote]
I'd keep her banged-up until she [italic]did[/italic] become more co-operative!
Brent said
Maybe it'll shed some light on the baby's family as well.
I'd keep her banged-up until she
did become more co-operative!
Posted by: Peter, Ealing on 1:08pm Wed 21 May 08
When I was in Tokyo in March I was punched by a Nigerian for no other reason than being white.
When I was in Tokyo in March I was punched by a Nigerian for no other reason than being white.
Posted by: Croyboy on 3:51am Thu 22 May 08
[quote][bold]Peter[/bold] wrote:
When I was in Tokyo in March I was punched by a Nigerian for no other reason than being white.[/quote] How [italic]dare[/italic] you say things like that, Peter! You ought to be banned from this board - even if it's true. No, [italic]especially[/italic] if it's true!
Peter wrote:
When I was in Tokyo in March I was punched by a Nigerian for no other reason than being white.
How
dare you say things like that, Peter! You ought to be banned from this board - even if it's true. No,
especially if it's true!
Posted by: Shel on 11:39pm Tue 10 Jun 08
This is only one of many cases where people go to great lengths to abuse the welfare system. My mum have had suggestions given to her by her co-workers on how to get more money out of the government - telling them that I got kicked out of the house to get housing and more money for uni. I say its ridiculous how 'creative' these people are.
This is only one of many cases where people go to great lengths to abuse the welfare system. My mum have had suggestions given to her by her co-workers on how to get more money out of the government - telling them that I got kicked out of the house to get housing and more money for uni. I say its ridiculous how 'creative' these people are.
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