In an extraordinary development on last week’s cover story centring on the number of Portuguese children taken into care by British social services, a source has come forwards to highlight the case against 31-year-old Portuguese mother Iolanda Menino – claiming the cardiology technician has been “brainwashed” by her partner, Leonardo Edwards.
Fiona O’Leary, co-founder of the not-for-profit organisation Autistic Rights Together, told us she had been working on exposing Leonardo Edwards “for the last two years”.
“British social services were absolutely right to remove the couple’s child,” she told us from her base in Ireland.
“I am amazed that newspapers in Portugal have skirted round the MMS connection,” she added – referring to the so-called Miracle Mineral Solution that Edwards has been caught on camera selling to purge all manner of ailments and conditions, including autism, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
“It is highly toxic and has already killed people. We have been working for years to stop the work of the Genesis II church, of which Leonardo is a so-called bishop,” she told us.
“MMS is not fit for human consumption, and yet they keep selling it and telling vulnerable people to give it to their children.”
As for the potential risk Edwards may pose to his newborn baby Santiago – removed by social services over two months ago – O’Leary stressed it is “completely valid”.
“The authorities gave this couple every opportunity to renounce MMS. The concentrations of bleach in this product mean that it stinks,” she explained. “Just having a baby in that environment would be enough to put him at risk.
“Iolanda also was given every opportunity to keep the baby. She was told that if she agreed to leave Leonardo, she could have him home. But the two chose bleach over their child. It’s almost too much to believe.”
The couple have since flouted a court injunction prohibiting any mention of their case on social or any other form of media.
They came to Portugal last Friday, for a “peaceful protest” outside the British embassy in Lisbon.
Attended by around 15 people – including journalists – the event took place shortly after the couple were served documents informing them of a court hearing in UK.
The hearing centred on an application by Southampton City Council to have both parents committed to prison, said O’Leary – providing the Resident with relevant screenshots.
She added that the fact that the parents had recorded conversations with the Portuguese Consul General and a social worker and then uploaded them onto their Facebook page has added insult to injury.
“They have consistently made their situation worse”, she told us – suggesting the parents were being led by a ‘fake’ American lawyer (“another charlatan”) who has simply “lured them into breaking the law” and “giving them crazy advice that will disconnect them further from their child”.
For now, it is not known whether Iolanda and her 39-year-old partner have returned from Lisbon to the UK.
This week, Iolanda simply told us she was “very busy sending emails” and “safe”.
Meantime, the date for UK authorities to decide on the fate of her baby is set for May 20.
