A woman from Bristol has been received a custodial sentence of 3 years 4 months after taking thousands of pounds from at least two couples desperate for a surrogate to carry a child for them.
The woman pretended to inseminate herself behind closed doors. After announcing the news of her pregnancy and taking their money, she would devastate the families with a fictitious sob story claiming she had miscarried.
Judge Graham Cottle who handed down the sentence said “For the victims taking a decision to place matters into your hands was the only remaining option open to them in their desperation to have a child.”…..”It is no doubt because they were desperate and the consequences of your skill as a fraudster that you quickly earned their trust, then proceeded to practice one breathtaking deception after another and persuaded them to believe you were going to provide them with what they desperately wanted”
Any “surrogacy arrangement/contract” between the surrogate and the intended parents is not legally binding. This reiterates the importance of going through the right channels and seeking legal advice as to the acquisition of parental rights for the child.