I paid £15,000 for arranging IVF – then the service went bust

27 minutes ago Share Save Emer Moreau Business reporter, BBC News Share Save

Syreeta Sandhu Syreeta Sandhu has spent £15,000 on IVF

IVF patients are being warned over unregulated "concierge clinics" after a popular one went bust leaving scores of clients without treatment or refunds. As the number of privately funded IVF cycles has risen, online concierge companies have emerged, acting as "middlemen" between patients, donors and doctors. The fertility watchdog has said that as these clinics do not provide IVF treatment directly, it does not have powers to regulate them. It is calling for the law to be strengthened to protect patients. Syreeta Sandhu lost nearly £15,000 when her concierge clinic went bust. "You're on your knees," she said. "Upset has turned to frustration and anger."

The 40-year-old mother-of-two contacted online firm Apricity Fertility after four failed rounds of IVF and five miscarriages, in the hope of having a third child. She paid Apricity, which matched her with an egg donor and contracted established clinic King's Fertility. She was due to start treatment in December last year when her appointments were cancelled without explanation. Syreeta found out via the company's app that it was ceasing operations on 1 January. When she contacted King's, the clinic said data protection rules meant it did not have access to her file or details of her egg donor. It had not been paid by Apricity so her treatment could not begin. "When you're on this journey, every month counts. You'll do anything, and you do throw lots of money at it," she said. "It takes a long time to meet [medical staff] you can trust," she said. "I spent almost 12 months building that trust and it just dropped off."

Concierge clinics offer services like matching patients with donors and doctors, booking appointments and posting medication. It is not clear how many there are operating in the UK but experts believe their number is growing. Satellite arrangements – where patients attend medical appointments with one doctor, usually their own GP, and then undergo the IVF process elsewhere – is an established set-up in fertility care. But concierge clinics don't have physical premises or store eggs, sperm or embryos themselves. The fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is warning patients that these new services are not covered by its protections. Clare Ettinghausen, director of strategy and corporate affairs at the HFEA, said: "The fallout from Apricity's closure and the effect it had on patients highlights how the current law does not reflect the range and type of fertility treatments being offered today." She said the watchdog was calling for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act to be revised to take account of the different ways fertility services are provided. Syreeta is one of 52 patients owed money by Apricity. The company owes a total of £119,000 to its patients, according to the liquidator appointed to manage its debts, Cork Gully.

'There was no communication'

Beth Rodgers Beth Rodgers has a rare condition which means her ovaries don't produce eggs

Beth Rodgers, 32, from Belfast has Turner syndrome, a rare genetic condition that means her ovaries do not produce eggs. Because Northern Ireland has a severe shortage of donor eggs, Beth had to secure a donor in England. She and her partner paid Apricity £4,600 and had been matched with an egg donor. "Then I saw a comment on a Facebook group saying 'thinking of everyone affected by the Apricity news,'" she said. "There was no communication, no number to call." The couple were able to claim some of the money back on their insurance but it did not cover a £385 fee for a doctor's appointment and £985 for donor compensation. "Time was probably the biggest thing I felt I lost. It was such a long process," said Beth. She has now restarted treatment with a regulated clinic. She has had appointments with a doctor in the Republic of Ireland and travelled to Manchester for the embryo transfer. That transfer was unsuccessful but she will be able to get another round of IVF on her insurance with a different egg donor.

'No realistic chance of a refund'

In recent years, more British couples have paid for private fertility treatment, in part because IVF on the NHS is a postcode lottery. Jonathan, not his real name, and his wife went through five failed rounds of IVF before they went to Apricity. They paid £10,000 for treatment with their savings and a loan. "We've been told there's no realistic chance of getting our money back," he said. "We haven't been able to resume treatment yet as we're still trying to raise finance." Cork Gully told Jonathan and other patients in a letter seen by the BBC: "It is unlikely that there will be funds to pay to patients." It said any affected patients should get in touch.

The BBC asked Mel Chacksfield, who was chief executive of Apricity when it ceased operations, why the business had gone under and if patients would be refunded but she did not respond to our request. However, Caroline Noublanche, one of the company's founders and the previous chief executive, told the BBC it had "faced sudden and irreversible financial difficulties in December when planned investment from an investor was withdrawn".

Clinics falling into regulatory gap

Prof Emily Jackson is a researcher in medical law and ethics at the London School of Economics. She said: "You need a licence to do things with embryos and sperm and eggs but you don't need any licence to offer to arrange things on the internet. "For people thinking about their options, it is probably sensible to opt for treatment in an HFEA-licensed clinic, because they have responsibilities towards patients in the event of closure." Those responsibilities mean that if an HFEA-licensed clinic closes, it has to give patients information and ensure they are supported. The clinic must also ensure all eggs, sperm and embryos that are in storage are kept safe.

Getty Images IVF clinics need a special licence to store and fertilise eggs and sperm

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told BBC News: "While digital or 'virtual' clinics do not currently fall within the remit of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, ministers have met with its chair to discuss the emerging regulatory challenges. "The government is currently considering the HFEA's recommendations on modernising fertility law. We would advise all those looking at using digital clinics to carry out thorough research before making any decisions."

Sexcam industry recruited us while we were schoolgirls, say models

26 minutes ago Share Save Sofia Bettiza World Service, Global Health Reporter Reporting from Medellín, Colombia Share Save

Jorge Calle / BBC Keiny, now 20, started working as a webcam model when she was 17

One afternoon, as Isabella left school for the day, someone thrust a leaflet into her hand. "Do you want to make money with your beauty?" it asked. She says a studio looking for models seemed to be targeting teenage pupils in her area in Bogotá, Colombia's capital. At 17, with a two-year-old son to support, she desperately needed money, so went along to find out more. She says when she got there, it was a sexcam studio, run by a couple in a house in a run-down neighbourhood - it had eight rooms decorated like bedrooms. Studios range from small, low-budget operations to large businesses with individual rooms set up with lights, computers, webcams and an internet connection. Models perform sexual acts which are streamed to viewers around the world, who message them and make requests via intermediaries, also known as monitors. The next day Isabella, whose real name we are not using, says she started work - even though it is illegal in Colombia for studios to employ webcam models under 18. She told the BBC World Service there was no written contract detailing how much she would be paid or what her rights were. "They had me streaming without teaching me anything. They said, 'Here's the camera, let's go.'" Isabella says the studio soon suggested she do a livestream from school, so as classmates around her were learning English, she quietly took out her phone and started to film herself at her desk. She describes how viewers began to ask her to perform specific sexual acts, so she asked her teacher for permission to go to the toilet and, locked in a cubicle, did what the customers had requested. Her teacher had no idea what was happening, "so I started doing it from other classes", says Isabella. "I kept thinking, 'It's for my child. I'm doing it for him.' That gave me the strength."

Recycled accounts and fake IDs

Jorge Calle / BBC Models told the BBC that some studios use fake IDs for underage performers

The global sexcam industry is booming. The number of monthly views of webcam platforms globally has more than tripled since 2017, reaching nearly 1.3 billion, in April 2025, according to analytics firm Semrush. Colombia is now estimated to have more models than any other country - 400,000 - and 12,000 sexcam studios, according to Fenalweb, an organisation representing the country's adult webcam sector. These studios film performers and feed the content to global webcam platforms, which broadcast to millions of paying viewers around the world who make requests of models, give tips and buy them gifts. Many of the models who work in studios do so because they lack privacy, equipment or a stable internet connection at home - often if they're poor or young and still living with parents. Performers told the BBC that studios often try to attract people with the promise of making easy money in a country where a third of the population lives in poverty.

Models explained that while some studios are well run and offer performers technical and other support, abuse is rife at unscrupulous operators. And Colombia's President, Gustavo Petro, has described studio owners as "slave masters" who trick women and girls, like Isabella, into believing they can earn good money. The four biggest webcam platforms that stream material from the studios, BongaCams, Chaturbate, LiveJasmin and StripChat, which are based in Europe and the United States, have checks that are supposed to ensure performers are 18 or older. EU and US laws prohibit the distribution of sexually explicit material involving anyone under 18. But models told the BBC these checks are too easily sidestepped if a studio wants to employ under-age girls. They say one way of doing this is to "recycle" old accounts of models who are of legal age but no longer perform, and give them to under-age girls. Isabella says this is how she was able to appear on both Chaturbate and StripChat when she was 17. "The studio owner said it was no problem that I was under-age," Isabella, now 18, says. "She used the account of another woman, and then I started working under that identity." Other models the BBC spoke to say they were given fake IDs by studios. One, Keiny, says this enabled her to appear on BongaCams when she was 17.

Milley Achinte, a BongaCams representative in Colombia, says she visits studios to check on working conditions

Milley Achinte, a BongaCams representative in Colombia, told the BBC they do not allow under-18s to perform and they shut accounts that break this rule. She added that the platform checks IDs on a Colombian government website and if a "model contacts us and we are aware that the model left the studio, we give them their password so they can close their account". In a statement, Chaturbate said it has "categorically" stopped the use of fake IDs, and models must regularly submit live images of themselves standing next to government-issued photo IDs, which are checked digitally and manually. It said it has "an average of one reviewer to fewer than 10 broadcasters" and any attempt to recycle accounts "would be unsuccessful" because "the age verification process continues as each and every broadcast is constantly reviewed and checked". StripChat also sent a statement saying it has a "zero-tolerance policy regarding under-age models" and that performers "must undergo a thorough age verification process", adding that its in-house moderation team works with third-party verification services to "validate models' identities". It said that recycled accounts cannot be used on its platform, and recent changes to its rules mean that the account holder must be present on every stream. "So, if a model moves to a new account to work independently, the original account tied to them becomes inactive and unusable by the studio." LiveJasmin did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment.

Viewers 'like it when you look young'

Colombian webcam model, Keiny prepares to start streaming

Keiny is now 20 and works from her bedroom at home in Medellín - streaming through another studio which provides a route to big international platforms. And if it wasn't for the high-tech equipment - several ring lights, a camera, and a large screen - this could pass for a child's room. There are about a dozen stuffed animals, pink unicorns and teddy bears. Viewers "really like it when you look young", she says. "Sometimes I think that's problematic. Some clients ask that you act like an actual child, and that's not OK." She says she got into the business to help her family financially after her parents decided to divorce. Her father knows what she's doing and she says he's supportive. Looking back, Keiny thinks she was too young when she started at the age of 17, but even so, she isn't critical of her former employers. Instead, she believes they helped her into a job which she says now earns her about $2,000 (£1,500) a month - far more than the minimum wage in Colombia, which is about $300 (£225) a month. "Thanks to this job, I'm helping my mum, my dad, and my sister - my whole family," she says. That point of view is echoed by the studios - some of which are keen to demonstrate they look after their performers. We visited one of the biggest, AJ Studios, where we were introduced to an in-house psychologist, employed to support models' mental health. We were also shown a spa which offers pedicures, massages, botox and lip fillers at a "discount" or as prizes for "employees of the month" who may be high earners or people who are collaborative and support fellow models.

Fined for a toilet break

But as the country's president has pointed out, not every performer is treated well or makes good money. And the industry is waiting to see if his new labour law will pave the way for tighter regulations. Models and studios told the BBC that streaming platforms typically take 50% of the fees paid by viewers, studios take 20-30%, and the models get what's left. This means that if a show makes $100 (£75), the model would usually get between $20 (£15) and $30 (£22). They explained that unscrupulous studios often take much more. Models say there have been times when they logged on for sessions of up to eight hours and made as little as $5 (£4) - which can happen if a performance doesn't have many viewers. Others say they have been pressured into streaming for up to 18 hours without breaks and fined for stopping to eat or go to the toilet. These accounts are supported by a report from the campaign group Human Rights Watch, published in December 2024. The author, Erin Kilbride, who did additional research on this story for the BBC, found some people were being filmed in cramped, dirty cubicles infested with bedbugs and cockroaches and were being coerced into performing sexual acts they found painful and degrading.

Jorge Calle / BBC Sofi says a studio where she worked pressured her into performing sexual acts that she did not want to do

Sofi, a mother-of-two from Medellín, had been a waitress in a nightclub but, fed up with being insulted by customers, moved into webcam modelling. But the 26-year-old says a studio she worked for pressured her into carrying out painful and degrading sexual acts, including performing with three other girls. She explains that these requests were made by customers and agreed to by studio monitors - the staff employed to act as intermediaries between models and viewers. Sofi says she told the studio she didn't want to perform these acts, "but they said I had no choice". "In the end, I had to do it because it was either that, or they would ban my account," she adds, explaining that means her account would effectively be closed down. Sofi continues working in webcam studios because she says a typical salary in Colombia would not be enough to support her and her two children. She is now saving to start a law degree.

Sofi says her work in the sexcam industry means she can support her children and save for a law degree

It's not just Colombia that is facing these issues, says Erin Kilbride. She found that between them, the big four streaming platforms also broadcast material from studios in 10 more countries - Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, and the US. And she says she identified "gaps in platform policies and protocols that facilitate or exacerbate human rights abuses". When we asked platforms about conditions at the studios they stream, Milley Achinte from BongaCams said she is part of a team of eight women who visit some studios in Colombia "making sure that the models are getting paid, that the rooms are clean, that models are not getting violated". StripChat and Chaturbate do not visit studios and said they are not direct employers of performers and therefore do not intervene in the terms set between studios and models. But they both told us they are committed to a safe working environment. StripChat also said it expects studios to ensure "respectful and comfortable working conditions". BongaCams, StripChat and Chaturbate all said they have teams to intervene if they believe a model is being forced or coerced to do something.

'They deceived me'

Our neighbour threatened my dad with a knife - why won't the housing association act?

24 minutes ago Share Save Tarah Welsh Housing correspondent Share Save

BBC

Over the past year, Dilara's next-door neighbour has threatened her father with a knife and damaged their property. Dilara says she also smashed her sister's car windscreen with a hammer. "I'm just scared," says the 17-year-old beauty therapy student, who lives with her family in south London, "it doesn't feel like a home to me anymore". She says she struggled when doing her GCSEs last year as noise from the neighbour kept her awake - and the issue is still affecting her college studies. "I'm really tired," she says, adding that sometimes she can't make it to school because she's so exhausted. Sixty-six people have contacted Your Voice, Your BBC News telling us how they have dealt with relentless noise, vandalism, death threats and even physical assaults by neighbours. It comes after we reported on a couple plagued by anti-social behaviour earlier this year. Meanwhile, the housing ombudsman told us complaints about such issues had doubled over the last five years and authorities needed to work more collaboratively to protect people.

Knife-threat neighbour still living next door

Dilara's father Ecevit, 50, says when he told their neighbour to turn the music down at 04:00 one morning in January, she came out with a knife. The incident left him "shaking". The neighbour was arrested but released on bail and was back home the next day. The neighbour pleaded guilty to threatening "a person with a blade/sharply pointed article in a public place" and will be sentenced in July. But the anti-social behaviour has continued. Last month, she allegedly smashed the car windscreen of one of Ecevit's other daughters. The neighbour has now been charged.

Supplied Doorbell footage of Melissa's car being hit with a hammer

Melissa, 25, who needs the car to get to work, says she was in "shock" when she discovered what had happened. The family believe their housing association, Wandle, has failed to act over the numerous cases of anti-social behaviour, despite much of it being recorded on cameras. "What is it going to take for them to actually take action and do something to safeguard us and to protect us? Do they expect her to kill us? How is it not enough?" Melissa asks. Dilara says the windscreen incident has "really affected" her and that, along with other members of her family, she now suffers with anxiety. Cihan, 29, the eldest daughter in the family says: "There's no real action. There's no real urgency, it's just brushed under the carpet."

Ecevit says he was left shaking after being threatened

Anne Waterhouse, chief executive of Wandle, said the housing association was "deeply sorry about the distress caused to the resident enduring this unacceptable level of anti-social behaviour". "Our community safety team has been working with the impacted family, the police, the local authority and several external agencies to resolve the serious anti-social behaviour issues being experienced." Ms Waterhouse added that Wandle was currently assessing whether the family's property would "benefit from enhanced security during this difficult time". But the family say their neighbour has also been failed by the system. "It's also a failure for someone who is clearly very vulnerable and is struggling with their mental health. And you know she deserves all the help that she needs, as well as considering my family's safety," Cihan says. A Met Police spokesperson said the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team was aware of a "pattern of behaviour" and was working to support the family, as well as liaising with housing associations and mental health services.

Cihan says her neighbour deserves the help she needs

Exclusive data from the housing ombudsman shows the number of complaints about how social landlords have dealt with anti-social behaviour in England have increased by 119% over four years - from 552 in 2020, to 1,207 in 2024. The watchdog found many social landlords were failing to protect tenants from anti-social behaviour. Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman for England, says in about "two out of three cases" he looks at involving anti-social behaviour "something has gone wrong". "In some of the most serious cases, really losing sight of the issues, losing sight of the victim, and the impact of that is deeply shocking," he says.

'I don't sleep'

Others contacted us with similar stories - including Cheryl, in Shoreham-by-Sea, who says four years of complaints about her neighbour have resulted in little action from the authorities. She says loud music, shouting, abuse and other forms of disquiet have made her life a misery. "I don't sleep. It's like sharing a house with these people, and it affects every part of everything. I can't go out," she adds. "My routine revolves around them, so I sneak in and out when it's quiet, because it's been dangerous if I don't." Cheryl says she installed cameras around her house because she feels unsafe. Another neighbour of Cheryl says anti-social behaviour is impacting her life too. They both say they have been let down by the woman's landlord, Adur & Worthing Councils. Cheryl says she has been told not to contact them anymore, with the council calling her claims "vexatious". The council tells us recent complaints from Cheryl are "unfounded" and "hundreds of hours of officer time have been put into understanding the situation and providing support where it is required". This has led to an "improved situation", it says. In a statement, the council cited "two independent ASB [anti-social behaviour] Case Reviews led by two other councils, both of which have supported the actions we have taken in this case." The BBC has seen video footage showing multiple instances of shouting, swearing and drinking outside Cheryl's flat, which is above the woman's. We put all of Cheryl's allegations to her neighbour, who did not want to be interviewed but disputed Cheryl's claims and said she felt harassed because she was being filmed. She also told us she was vulnerable.

Cheryl says anti-social behaviour has made her life a misery

Sussex Police said it had received "multiple reports of anti-social behaviour between neighbours" since 2021. It said a 61-year-old woman had been issued with a Community Protection Notice, and in August 2024 was ordered to complete a community resolution for a public order offence. In a statement, the force told us it "understands the impacts of anti-social behaviour on victims and all reports are taken seriously". It said it had "engaged with all parties involved, including the local authority, to identify a satisfactory resolution". Cheryl says the impact of living in this situation has been devastating and she has spent time in hospital after a suicide attempt. "It's heartbreaking. It doesn't feel safe, life is hell. It's horrible. It's not a way to live."

Supplied Police say they have "received multiple reports of anti-social behaviour between neighbours beginning in 2021"

Many people who contacted us said they felt ignored by the authorities and isolated as no official body has taken ownership of the issue. Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, said persistent anti-social behaviour caused "deep distress" but stressed housing associations treated it seriously. "Many have dedicated, specialist teams whose role it is to manage such cases, to liaise with victims and alleged perpetrators, and to mediate swift resolutions." Mr Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said there were laws in place to protect people but there could be a "breakdown" in "cooperation between different agencies". In many of the cases we have heard about, we were told that people on both sides aren't getting the support they need. "Social landlords need more support from mental health services, who will be under their own pressures," Mr Blakeway said. "But then social landlords themselves also need to recognise that they need to develop skills to handle mental health issues effectively themselves."

Prison officer shot in 'revenge plot', jury told

12 hours ago Share Save Jonny Humphries & James Mountford BBC News Share Save

Lancashire Police Lenny Scott had been threatened by a prisoner four years before his death, a jury heard

A former prison officer was shot dead in an "act of retaliation" four years after seizing a mobile phone from a prisoner's cell, a jury heard. Lenny Scott, 33, was ambushed in the car-park of a gym in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and shot six times with a handgun on 8 February 2024. Images on the phone exposed a "sexual relationship" between inmate Elias Morgan and another prison officer, Sarah Williams, at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool resulting in them both being prosecuted, Preston Crown Court heard. Mr Morgan, 35, and his co-accused Anthony Cleary, 29, both from the Edge Hill area of Liverpool, have denied Mr Scott's murder, while Mr Cleary also denies an alternative count of manslaughter.

At the opening of their trial earlier, the jury heard Mr Scott left the gym on Peel Road at 19:34 GMT on the evening of his death and walked towards his car. The gunman, wearing a high-visibility jacket, was recorded on CCTV approaching Mr Scott before opening fire - striking him in the head and body.

Family handout Lenny Scott was ambushed as he left a gym in Skelmersdale on 8 February 2024

After the shooting, the killer fled on an electric bike which had earlier been left on the Daybrook housing estate, close to the gym, in the back of a white van. The prosecution claims the van had been transported there on a low-loader truck driven by Mr Cleary, who left it there for Mr Morgan to collect. Mr Morgan then drove himself to the estate in a Mercedes GLC car insured in his mother's name, parked up and collected the bike, the jury heard. Alex Leach KC, prosecuting, suggested the shooting was motivated by a search Mr Scott had carried out of Mr Morgan's cell on 26 March 2020, when he found the "incriminating" iPhone containing evidence of the affair with Ms Williams. The jury heard Mr Scott refused Mr Morgan's offer of £1,500 not to submit the phone to his superiors. Mr Leach said the inmate then "went to very considerable lengths to threaten harm to Lenny Scott and his family" if he handed the phone over. "For his part, Lenny Scott was not to be deterred," Mr Leach said. "He submitted the telephone and prosecutions followed. Elias Morgan told Lenny Scott that he would get him, he said he would bide his time, but that he would get him."

Google Elias Morgan and Anthony Cleary both deny murder

Mr Scott, the jury heard, told his family and colleagues that Mr Morgan had accurately recited his address, named his three children, and threatened that his "house would be blown up with his children inside". Mr Scott also called Merseyside Police four days after seizing the phone to report the threats. A recording of the call was played in court, which included Mr Scott telling the police call handler he was "in fear for my family's life". Mr Leach said Mr Morgan was moved to a different wing of the prison 10 days after the phone was seized, and there was no evidence the two men had any further contact.

'Reconnaissance trip'

Mr Morgan was released from HMP Altcourse in October 2020, and the following year Mr Scott was sacked from the prison service for punching a prisoner in the face. Mr Leach said in June 2023, Sarah Williams pleaded guilty to three counts of misconduct in a public office based partly on her affair with Mr Morgan. Mr Morgan, however, pleaded not guilty to unauthorised possession of the mobile phone and was bailed to stand trial on 19 February 2024. The jury heard that on 3 January 2024, Mr Morgan and other "unidentified men" carried out a "reconnaissance trip" at three locations linked to Mr Scott in a Ford Fiesta registered and insured in the defendant's name. They included his home address in Prescot, The Mecca Gym in Speke which Mr Scott had visited previously, and the gym at Peel House where the shooting would take place. The trial continues.

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Former England captain and BBC Sport pundit Michael Vaughan believes England "could be in for a special ride" following their incredible 371-run chase and five-wicket victory over India in the first Test at Headingley.

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