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Anorak News | Amy Winehouse Was To Adopt 10-Year-Old Dannika Augustine

Amy Winehouse Was To Adopt 10-Year-Old Dannika Augustine

by | 30th, July 2011

AMY Winehouse was “secretly” all set to adopt a ten-year-old girl named Dannika Augustine. Well, so says the Mirror.

The Mirror labels Winehouse “TRAGIC” – although it is unclear why.  Anorak still prefers “talented” as an epithet.

As for this adoption, the news is that Winehouse met Augustine in St Lucia. She too has a tabloid epithet:

Devastated Dannika said: “Amy was already my mother. I would call her mum and she would call me her daughter. She took care of me and we had fun together. I loved her and she loved me.

“She was the most amazing person and I was looking forward to living with her here or in London. I cannot believe she is gone. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

Winehouse met the girl in 2009. The singer has been to Marjorie Lambert’s beach bar. Marjorie is Dannika’s granny. Says she:

“Amy loved Dannika with all her heart. I don’t know why Amy took to Dannika above all the other children on the island, but from the moment they met they were ­ inseparable. They would spend all day playing, horse-riding and walking up and down the beach hand-in-hand.”

Inseparable? But Amy did not live with Dannika. And in 2009, we learnt:

However, the star’s spokesman insists Winehouse isn’t thinking of adopting in the literal sense – explaining that the singer is determined to offer a helping hand to childrens’ community projects in the resort.

He says, “Amy was talking about adopting in the context of looking after children on the island, perhaps through some kind of music and education-based project.”

Back to Marjorie:

“Amy used to beg me: ‘I want to adopt Dannika. I want to take her to England.’ She was prepared to move to St Lucia to be her full-time mum.”

Only, she has a mum:

She said Dannika’s mother, Nadia Germaine, 31, was willing to give her daughter up for adoption because she could not find a job and was struggling to bring up her family.

What of her dad?

Jobless Vic Augustine, 35, who lives in Germany, said: “Amy called me from my mother’s mobile phone. She said: ‘Hello, Marjorie’s lovely son. I wanted to talk to you because I feel like you are my brother. Marjorie has become like a mother to me.’ Then she said: ‘I love Dannika so much. She is the most amazing girl.’

Millionaire Winehouse called a man in Germany from St Lucia on a woman’s mobile phone?

This site says that to adopt in St Lucia:

In order to adopt St. Lucian children, non-nationals must reside at least 3 months in the country and must own real property on the island.

Did she own a property there? Well, we can find no reocrd that she did.

Adoption.org.uk says:

Those who wish to adopt from overseas must first become an approved adopter. To do this they should contact their local social services who may carry out the home study themselves or ask another agency or independent social worker to do it for them. An individual or family can also ask a voluntary adoption agency to carry out the assessment. A home study cannot be obtained from any other organisation or individual.

The British government says:

The regulations for intercountry adoption

Intercountry adoption is allowed in circumstances where:

  • the child cannot be cared for in a safe environment in their own country
  • the adoption would be in the best interests of the child and wouldn’t affect their internationally recognised human rights
  • the adopter has been assessed as eligible and suitable to adopt from overseas by an adoption agency in the UK

The Mirror goes on:

“I thanked Amy for taking care of my daughter, and she said: ‘Dannika is taking care of me. I couldn’t live ­without her.’ Then she said: ‘I would like your permission to adopt Dannika.’

And:

“Obviously it was difficult for me, because living in Germany, I miss Dannika very much. But my mother had told me about Amy and I knew she could give my daughter a wonderful life. I said if my mum thought it was a good idea, then it was OK with me. I also spoke to Dannika’s mother and she said she would agree to it.

“Amy phoned me two more times over the next month. She was serious about it.

“When we heard she died we were so shocked, and poor Dannika is so upset. This is very difficult for her.”

The story is equipped with a photo of smiling Dannika. And it must be taken on face value. Winehouse is not around to comment on it…

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Singer Dionne Bromfield, goddaughter of Amy Winehouse, views tributes outside the late singer's north London home.



Posted: 30th, July 2011 | In: Celebrities Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink