Internet 'mum' jailed

A woman was jailed for two years today for trying to sell her unborn baby to couples via the internet.

Moira Greenslade, 33, was condemned as a " dishonest predator" after making £2,500 from couples she had contacted through a surrogacy website.

Mr Justice Henriques told her: "Right-thinking members of the public will feel outrage at your cynical and callous fraud." He added: "It is the duty of the court to protect vulnerable sectors of the community from dishonest predators.

"Those couples who desperately seek a child are frequently prepared to go to extraordinary ends to meet their ambitions. Their hopes and prayers render them vulnerable to opportunists and fraudsters such as yourself."

The judge described Greenslade as a striking example of a confidence trickster. He said her punishment was aimed at deterring others from behaving in a similar manner.

Greenslade, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today after earlier pleading guilty to three charges of obtaining money by deception and three offences under the Adoption Act. Her baby girl was born in Southampton in December and remains in care after being taken from her and placed with social services.

Greenslade had agreed a £9,000 surrogacy arrangement with Scottish couple Mark and Michelle Johnson in February 2003 and received a £1,500 down-payment.

But at the same time she was also convincing Peter and Sharon Robinson-Hudson, from Mold in

North Wales, that they could have her baby and they paid her £1,000.

But she cancelled both agreements a week before the baby was due and made a third deal worth £8,000 with Janet and Andrew Rashley, from Southampton. Greenslade was arrested in hospital in December after giving birth.

Mr and Mrs Rashley described how they found out that Greenslade had deceived them as they held the child for the first time. "The social worker came in and said that she needed to have a word and it was then we found out that there were other couples involved," said Mrs Rashley. The couple warned others hoping to become parents to beware of similar deceptions.

Mrs Rashley said: "Don't be so quick to hand over money because there's a lot of people out there, especially on the internet - there's a lot of con artists."

She added: "We are still looking for a surrogate. We're just looking to the future and being parents."