Spain authorities seize British baby

March 5, 2010  •  National News  •  3 Comments

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• SEIZED: Jim Junior taken from Torrevieja hospital

SPANISH authorities have dramatically seized the baby of a British couple who fled the UK.

Social workers swooped on two-week-old Jim Junior in Alicante after they were passed information by Suffolk County Council.

Jim and Carissa Smith – whose real names can’t be used for legal reasons – moved to Spain’s east coast in December to avoid the child being taken.

Yet Spanish social services intervened while Carissa was still breastfeeding Jim at Torrevieja hospital following a warning issued by Suffolk authorities.

The baby has now been placed in the care of a Spanish family.

The couple’s first child, Poppy, had been seized by social services in October 2008 when just 11-weeks-old. She remains in foster care in England.

Despite his child being taken, father Jim praised the efforts of Spanish social services, despite the sensitivity of the situation.

He explained: “We intend to work with the Spanish authorities and they are fantastic. They, I know, are honest and trustworthy.”

He also claimed that the information given to Spanish authorities had changed from alleged concerns about emotional harm to the possibility of physical harm.

Meanwhile, a local British MP heavily criticised the intervention of UK authorities in notifying Spanish officials.

Tim Yeo, the MP for South Suffolk, said that there was “no justification” for the council’s intervention because the baby was “perfectly cared for”.

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