The parents of Michael Simpson, who died this year, are hoping to bring his children, Jack and Alice, home to the UK. They are currently in care in China.
The grandparents of two British children are fighting to bring them home from China after their son was fatally wounded in a scuffle with his estranged wife.
Michael Simpson, 34, was stabbed through the heart and his new girlfriend was brutally slashed at their Shanghai apartment.
The successful expatriate businessman’s wife WeiWei faces up to 50 years in prison if she is convicted of murder. But her family were allowed to take the couple’s two children Alice, five, and Jack, seven, to their remote provincial home.
Mr Simpson’s parents now fear that unless they agree to ‘forgive’ WeiWei, dramatically slashing her sentence, they will never see them again.
Speaking last night, his father Ian, a retired IT consultant, said the children are being used as ‘leverage’ in an expensive custody battle that threatens to rage for months.
‘Without the children I’ ve lost everything,’ he said. ‘If they were to stay there now I’ d probably never hear from them or see them again. We are now focused totally on the children. We literally don’ t care about WeiWei. Whatever happens to her, we don’ t care – whether she gets 50 years or five years.’
Michael Simpson travelled to Shanghai in 2009 to work as a senior manager for Next as it expanded into the Far East. Within months he met WeiWei, a store assistant, and she quickly became pregnant with Jack. The couple married and went on to have daughter Alice.
But his wife became increasingly unhappy, his family said, as she was ‘materialistic’ while he remained focused on their children.
They separated and Mr Simpson began another relationship with Rachel Lin, a British university-educated Chinese woman and senior colleague.
On March 20, WeiWei arrived at Mr Simpson’s apartment with two friends and a row broke out as she threatened to blackmail his new partner. His family said she was going to post ‘embarrassing material’ about Rachel online unless she was given more money. The mother of two is accused of pulling out a knife and stabbing her husband several times before slashing his girlfriend’s arm ‘to the bone’ .
Ian Simpson, who lives in rural Suffolk, flew to Shanghai the next day where he found his grandchildren being looked after by a social worker at a hotel.
But the suspected killer’s family then employed a lawyer who managed to get the children put in their care.
The pair, who both hold British passports and were regular visitors, are now believed to be more than 700 miles from Shanghai in Hubei province with WeiWei’s parents. Alice turned five on May 25 but Mr Simpson and his wife Diana, 67, were unable to wish her a happy birthday or send her a present.
Mr Simpson said: ‘I understand what they are doing. They want to do the best for WeiWei but at the same time it feels like Jack and Alice are being used as leverage.
‘The prosecution is going for a life sentence which is 50 years and forgiveness will reduce that by 80 per cent and mean she pays no compensation. My lawyers say it is disgusting. The brother mentioned it in the very first meeting. He said, “Will you forgive her?” I said, “What? Will that bring my son back?” I realised a few days later it was a missed opportunity because I could have said yes and got the kids back.
‘The longer the kids are with WeiWei’s parents the harder it will be to get them back because the authorities might say the children are settled with them.
‘Forgiveness could shorten the custody case by about eight months. The consulate said when a Chinese mother and European father split up the mother usually takes the children and literally disappears in China. It would be difficult to do that in the UK but over there with 1.4billion people you can disappear.’
Mr Simpson and his wife have now joined forces with Michael’s mother, Linda, and with his second son Andrew, 36, to win his grandchildren back.
They have already raised nearly £15,000 towards a £35,000 target to pay the custody legal fees and for medical care for Rachel.
Describing his son Mr Simpson said: ‘Michael was a devoted father and did everything for the kids. She preferred going out and buying clothes. She wanted more money and help with the kids. That’s how the tension grew – WeiWei was materialistic and my son was more home-oriented.’
Last month an inquest was opened in Bournemouth near where Michael Simpson, whose funeral was held in Poole, last lived in Britain with his mother. Coroner Rachael Griffin adjourned the matter pending the outcome of the murder inquiry.
A crowdfunding website has been set up by a friend to help cover Ian Simpson’s legal fight. Details are at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jack-and-alice
