Following the Nordic Model Now webinar (), which mentioned the Drewitt Barlow's surrogacy agency British Surrogacy centre, I did some more research as I hadn't heard about the Megan Hoffner case...
Going back to 2005, here is the Times on the legal action against DBs because of closure of unlicensed Spanish school, and reference to BDB’s criminal conviction in Elche for threatening violence.
"The parents of 30 British children from the Lady of Elche School near Alicante are seeking damages of about £6,000 each from the millionaire businessmen after the school was shut by Spanish authorities for operating without a licence. In a separate action, six teachers including Anne Shaul, the former headmistress, and Cynthia Watson, the former deputy head, are each claiming a similar amount in damages. John and Michelle McGuiness are suing for an undisclosed sum after investing in the school. Bob Palmer, 40, from Liskeard, Cornwall, father of Sean, 15, a former pupil, said: “I’m furious at Barrie and Tony. I’m not the only one. My son has lost a year of his education.”
"Last week Mr Drewitt was convicted of threatening two former school parents. The magistrate fined him €120 (£92) and warned him that he could be jailed if he does not pay."
www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article1933795.ece
In 2006 the Daily Mail reports on Barrie's conviction in Spain for threatening to have a complainant shot, over argument of the unlicensed school where Barry, gave sex ed lectures despite not being a qualified teacher, this is a good account of what led up to this:
www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-408666/Why-pictures-millionaire-gay-dads-children-dating-website.html
In 2010 UK there is the Government Insolvency Service Report on the DBs’ 8-year directorship disqualification:
www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/pressreleases/insolvency-service-anthony-and-barry-drewitt-barlow-both-given-8-year-director-disqualifications-438470
Here's The Mirror reporting in 2016 that Barrie is being sued by surrogate mother Megan Hoffner for his activities in the United States that she claims to have caused her harm:
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/could-uks-first-gay-dads-7214266
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow had two county court judgments against him in the UK from 2011 and 2013 and in paperwork relating to one of these judgments, he is referred to as “Dr Barrie Drewitt-Barlow”. (He is also deemed so poor that payments are made of £50-400). Also I noticed Tony DB calling himself Dr Antony and Barry changing the spelling of his name to Barrie. I can't help but feel that it is connected to VISAs/Citizenship in the USA, and if they declared all that they were asked to declare, it is staggering to me that the visas were granted.)
The Drewitt-Barlows were aware of the investigation into their activities but they have at least two businesses (The British Surrogacy Centre and Princeton Consumer Research in California and New Jersey). They would have been expected to declare on their US visa applications all this wouldn't they?
With all this in mind I'm deeply shocked that the Law Commission considers these men to be 'stakeholders' in the law reform process in a country they don't live in, where they have been disbarred from being Directors in. Maybe the Law Commission didn't do there research but it didn't take me long to put this together.