To pay a specialist lawyer for custody of my son

My name is Ossama Ibrahim, and I was born and raised in Egypt. I got married in Egypt to a

Muslim UK citizen in 2017. My wife was pregnant with a heart condition so therefore had to

return to the UK for specialist treatment. My wife gave birth in the UK during my absence.

She gave birth to my first baby boy in 2018 but unfortunately, she had to get an operation

and passed away in Edinburgh royal infirmary, when my son was only 3 months old. I

attempted to obtain a UK visa to support her during her deteriorated health, however this

was declined four times. After appealing to the home office, the London court agreed and

granted me an entry visa toward the end of 2020, just as the Coronavirus pandemic hit the

world. Due to the pandemic, I couldn't manage to come to the UK until November 2021.

During this time, the social worker asked me to approve leaving my son with a non-blood

relative until my arrival, I had agreed for my son to be looked after out of our kinship unit

until my arrival to the UK, due to having no other option.

However, upon my arrival, it became apparent the person looking after my son was granted

residence and parental rights and responsibilities in 2021 due to my lengthy absence. I was

shocked and devastated when this person refused to return my son to me. This marked the

beginning of my legal proceedings to have full custody of my son.

Since I am not eligible for public funds, I had to sell all my belongings in Egypt. However, due

to the significant difference in currency exchange rates between the UK and Egypt, I ended up spending a large sum of money – over £40,000 so far. I am working tirelessly day and night just to afford the legal fees. Unfortunately, my situation worsened when my lawyer

informed me that I need to get a specialist in order to continue fighting for my case, the

specialist's fees are exorbitant.

I did manage to obtain unsupervised contact with my son at one point. However, this was

short-lived, as a minor incident – changing my son's clothes due to them being dirty – was

used against me. The person taking care of my son claimed that this incident stressed my

son. However, I confirmed that my son was not stressed during that time, with a witness

and photos. Despite this, my son and I had to endure 15 weeks without seeing each other as

a result. Currently, we only have supervised contact for one hour a week at a contact centre.

My life has become a constant struggle, and I barely eat or sleep. I'm constantly thinking

about how to regain custody of my son and how to provide him with a good upbringing. I

want to raise him with solid morals and a good personality, compensating for the pain he

has endured over the years without his parents. Additionally, I need to find a way to cover

the accumulating lawyer's bills.

I am immensely grateful for all the prayers and support I have received. I'm sincerely asking

everyone to help me raise funds to conclude this case. My son has already lost his mother

and I do not want to lose my son.

He is the only thing that bonds my union to my late wife. I do not wish for my son to lose his

father too. I plead for your assistance in achieving this as soon as possible. Thank you verymuch, and may God bless you all for supporting my case.

Sincerely,

Ossama Ibrahim