A British mum has vowed to sue police in New York for a whopping $30 million, claiming that because of them, her toddler son is being held “hostage and kidnapped in a foreign country”.
Louise Fielden was on holidays in New York last April, with her now 15-month-old son Samuel, when she was arrested for leaving the little one alone in their hotel room.
The child was discovered sleeping alone in his cot by an employee, who claims that Ms Fielden was gone for at least an hour. The mother, however, insists that she only left the room for half an hour, to boil water for the tot’s bottles.
Police were called to the scene, and while the child was taken into care, criminal charges were brought against Ms Fielden.
Ms Fielden refused to plead guilty to any form of neglect or endangerment, and she remained in Manhattan to fight her case – while her toddler son stayed in care.
This week, criminal charges against Ms Fielden were dropped, and after returning home to England she shared her plans to not only get her son out of care and back home, but to sue the New York City Police Department for $30 million.
Ms Fielden is still fighting a separate neglect case in another court in New York, and she is adamant that her child should be returned to her until the judgment is passed.
Central to her argument is that the child is being cared for by a woman who is a member of a group that supports LGBT issues – Ms Fielden says that this is against her “conservative upbringing in the Church of England”.
The Metropolitan Police have now launched a legal bid to have Samuel returned, with Ms Fielden’s legal rep claiming that the tot is being held “hostage and kidnapped in a foreign country”.
We will keep you updated as Ms Fielden’s case progresses.
