I have no words - woman now stranded after wanting to give birth in St Lucia (on the beach...)

[Nanny0gg]

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/uk-world-news/new-mum-stranded-after-being-8669669

What on earth were they thinking??

Yes it's pretty basic to ask for proof that the baby being registered belongs to the parents registering it.

999 times out of 1000 there will be an independent witness, like a doctor or midwife. This is what has caused their issues, their decision to do it solo.

You know St Lucia has science, medicine, technology, laboratories, right?

No need idea if it has a DNA Lab. 🤷‍♀️

When my sister lived on Turks and Caicos everything got sent to the States for things like that.

Gosh people think of more and more innovative ways to show how stupid they are don't they.

The 24 hour rule also seems pragmatic so babies born in hospital car park or before midwife got there at a home birth can still get form and be registered.
It’s the giving birth alone and failure to go to a hospital for 3 days that’s highly unusual and no doubt gone in the official what the heck do we do pile - that’s the sort of thing that takes time as it goes up chain for a decision. Then either before dna test or test results they’ve left the country.

Actually I wouldn't class this as bureaucracy - the term refers to excessive, unnecessary paperwork. Neither it it a loop - the order of things is extremely clear.
Prove baby is theirs => register birth => passport.

Otherwise, as PP have pointed out anybody could steal a baby and rock up claiming it as theirs. The potential for human trafficking is huge.

These people actually live a 20 min drive away from me in East Manchester... maybe some of the local pub gossips will have more info. Wouldn't be surprised if they were erm involved in illicit activities as neither of them appear to have an income big enough to support sailing around not working for weeks.

It is very odd and I can't see how it stacks up.

If you want to give birth in St Lucia, why fly to Martinique and hire a boat? Were they planning to sneak into St Lucia? Why? Why not find out in advance how to register a birth in St Lucia if that is what you are planning? Surely if you want to bring the baby back to the UK you'd figure out how to do so in advance?

As for the DNA test, it is not bureaucracy but necessary. People do buy and sell babies. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that you'd make the exchange offshore.

When I lost my passport I couldn't get an emergency one immediately. I lost it on a Sunday. It was a local bank holiday on the Monday. First appointment at the Embassy was available Tuesday. I needed photo ID for that appointment otherwise I had to get some other proof of identity to even allow me into the Embassy. I was bloody grateful I had my driving licence at that point due to how long getting the relevant proof would take.

Then my application for a replacement passport (rather than a new first time passport which always takes longer as you need to verify identity with photos and signatories) was quicker because I had a photocopy of my original passport. Otherwise I'd have had to have prove my identity with other documentation and the application for an emergency passport would have taken longer.

As it was I got it done within 24hrs of the Embassy appointment. But it shocked me the procedure if I hadn't had all the documents I needed. You'd need to get to a location with an Embassy (at your own expense), book an appointment with the Embassy online (and hope they had a free slot in the near future), then prove with photo ID or equivalent who you were to get into the Embassy and then have the right documents with you to prove your passport and identity were definitely you before they will issue you an emergency passport.

So even with everything in my favour it took time. And I had to pay for extra nights and new flights and miss work...

If you didn't have ANY paperwork and were outside the system in acquiring paperwork it would easily take ages. Because THAT'S normal.

The British Embassy will not pay for your transport or accommodation if you have issues with your passport. That's your problem in the majority of cases. It's exceptional if they give you any kind of funds. And that because of how many chancers try to take the piss.

And as difficult as it was, even in ideal circumstances, I do feel this is the right approach simply because otherwise it would cost a fortune to bail out the feckless and piss takers. The service is there as a basis minimum but it has to prevent and protect British citizens from economic fraud and identity fraud. The importance of PROVING you are who you say you are shouldn't be underestimated.

It's exceptionally stressful when you are caught in a mess and don't know if your passport has been stolen. You WANT to know that no one else but you can travel or do anything else using your identity. Your passport is the potential gateway to someone fucking you over at a later date. The system HAS to be robust.

I wouldn’t call it bureaucracy either - it’s due diligence involving VERY dodgy circumstances and a child who no one knows where it’s come from

The assumption is they were potentially buying a baby. Why? It's equally possible they were attempting to flog a baby and it didn't go to plan. These are people who seem to be on a long term holiday and living a lifestyle beyond their means.

I think the baby is theirs however, they feasibly could be peddling drugs. I knew someone who did jail time after they were caught hiding coke in their baby's nappies when coming back through Gatwick. This was after going to Barbados umpteenth times.

However I'm inclined to believe they were just Instagram clout seeking. I don't believe they were baby trafficking either.

@RedToothBrush

That's it. They were trying to sell the baby.

That's why the other daughter is no where to be seen. And all the plane hopping/ boat thing.

So even with everything in my favour it took time. And I had to pay for extra nights and new flights and miss work...

But that's what travel insurance is for, isn't it?

If they are trying to be Instagram famous, where's the Instagram page? Surely launching their 'Gram would help to provide funds, stir up interest and sympathy, etc. Poor little baby though, I hope she is OK.

I think trafficking, either drugs or people, is going to feature heavily in this story.

That’s where the what were they up to - drug smuggling? thoughts come from.
Theres a gap between leaving Uk in March and baby born 23/4. Where were they for those weeks. There’s also the why go to country one - Martinique and sail to country two St Lucia if your vision was to give birth on a specific beach in St Lucia. Why were they so far from land when she gave birth then failed to go to hospital for days - implication they weren’t on the short direct crossing from Martinique to St Lucia.
Then sailed off to Country three Grenada apparently in same boat.
No idea how much a yacht is but it won’t be cheap and they’ve had it over 4 months.
Who have they hired it from? What are their sailing credentials presumably you don’t just hand over your expensive yacht to anyone. If Clive is one and the same in the newspaper court report he’s not known for his navigating ability.

Yes. It is. And I did get that. But so so many people don't have insurance (and insurance doesn't pay always pay out very quickly when you need it most - I got retrospectively).

Agree bureaucracy the wrong term. Due process.

No country in the world is going to allow two foreign nationals to appear out of nowhere and issue a birth certificate, no questions asked.

I’d assume the authorities are minded to think baby is theirs (she’s probably breastfeeding) or otherwise baby would have been removed to a children’s home or foster care. I’m sure they would have been sad faced photos a plenty if baby had been removed when they presented at the hospital.

No idea how much a yacht is but it won’t be cheap and they’ve had it over 4 months.

Google thinks the cheapest end of the yacht hire market in the Caribbean is $800-900 a week. That's a LOT of money over a 4 month period.

The assumption is they were potentially buying a baby. Why? It's equally possible they were attempting to flog a baby and it didn't go to plan. These are people who seem to be on a long term holiday and living a lifestyle beyond their means.*

Indeed. Would explain why they didn't bother finding out how to bring it to the UK.

I'm thinking that people could be on their uppers in the UK. Selling mindfulness etc

That doing a " wild birth " was always a cover.

" couldn't get a passport " for other daughter. hmm?

Lots of plane /boat hopping etc to cover tracks.

Always meant to give birth on the boat at sea.

Other " plans" fell through. Whatever they were? 😬And now they're in this shit.

Should I be writing crime drama?

I think selling the baby is the most likely story too.

Their poor 8 year old! Abandoned by their parents and missing meeting their sister in the first few weeks....

If Clive is one and the same in the newspaper court report he’s not known for his navigating ability.

yes! howling😂

Yes perhaps some type of unofficial surrogacy arrangement that has fallen apart and buyer hasn’t collected baby so now they need to bring baby home. It would explain how they were living with no jobs for months if they were getting surrogacy expenses.

I hadn’t considered this, but it would actually also explain the 8 year age gap between their first child and second - paid surrogacy rather than planned baby.