AN ESTATE agent has been found guilty of trying to sell an 11-month-old girl for £35,000.

The 48-year-old man from Ilford, and the girl's mother, 29, who police will only say is from north east London, were convicted of conspiracy to commit cruelty to a child and slavery charges.

Neither can be named for legal reasons.

Police arrested the pair after an undercover investigation by a national newspaper last September.

Two reporters posed as a childless couple willing to buy the girl, after being tipped off by a friend of the convicted man.

They agreed a price of £35,000 – £25,000 for the girl's mother and £10,000 for the man for organising the deal.

The woman's 31-year-old husband was found not guilty after being arrested on suspicion of being involved in the deal.

The girl has since been taken into care by Newham Social Services.

Detective Chief Superintendent Gordon Briggs said: "This was an appalling case where individuals have attempted to sell a vulnerable child for their own personal gain and with no consideration whatsoever for her safety and future."

The pair were convicted at a hearing at Inner London Crown Court yesterday (April 13) and will be sentenced on May 27.