We’re heartbroken over13 splitting our grandkids
THE parents of a Briton killed by his wife have spoken of their devastation at splitting up his children amid a custody battle in China.
Ian and Linda Simpson were last night preparing to fly back to Britain with six-yearold Alice, but they had to leave her brother, Jack, eight, with his relatives in China.
They gave their son’s former in-laws £9,200 to secure the release of their granddaughter, following a two-year custody dispute.
But the Chinese grandparents refused to let Jack go, even though the siblings have never been separated before. It is believed they are holding out for more money.
Businessman Michael Simpson, 34, was stabbed to death by his wife, Weiwei Fu, in March 2017. This July, Fu was jailed for life.
His dad, Ian, who is separated from Linda, said: “We are overjoyed to bring Alice home, but it breaks our hearts to leave Jack behind.
“Linda cried and asked me, ‘How can we wrench them apart?’. But in the end, we had to choose between coming home with Alice or walking away without either of our grandchildren.
“We could have lost them both for ever.
Alice has never been apart from Jack and it’s obvious she misses him badly.” Alice and
Jack do not know that their father is dead, as they were told by their
Chinese relatives that their parents are working abroad.
The British grandparents insist the siblings will see each other for a four-week holiday in China every year, but they are determined to bring Jack back to Britain.
“We feel terribly guilty leaving Jack behind,” Ian, 69, explained.
“The comforting thing is our lawyers are already talking to us about phase two – bringing Jack home. We will never give up.”
Michael – an executive with the clothing firm Next, who had lived in China for nine year – and had split from Fu two years before she killed him. He was with his new partner when Fu burst into his flat in Shanghai and stabbed him in the neck.
Days later, Jack and Alice were taken 600 miles from Shanghai to the northwestern city of Nanzhang, to live in a single-room apartment with their Chinese grandparents and a cousin. They were denied contact with their British relatives for a year.
Alice is expected to arrive at Ian’s home in Hartest, Suffolk, where he lives with his second wife, Diana, this week. The grandparents fundraised for the custody battle, which has already cost more than £100,000.
The custody papers were signed on Boxing Day. The dramatic breakthrough came after a high-level diplomatic intervention by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Grandad Ian Simpson