Salesman faces jail for trying to sell kidney on internet

A debt-ridden salesman is facing prison for trying to sell his kidney for £24,000 on the internet.

Desperate Dan Tuck, 25, is the first person in the country to be charged under the Human Tissue Act 2004 with "inviting the supply of human material for transplant."

The greedy salesman from Oldbury, West Midlands targeted Kidney transplant patients with the illegal deal in a bid to clear mounting debts, including money he owed his ex-girlfriend.

But the eventual "buyer" was an undercover local newspaper reporter and Tuck was arrested when police were told about his sick proposal.

Now he faces up to three years in jail after pleading after pleading guilty in court to the offence - the first of it kind in Britain.

Tuck had posted an Advert on an internet chatroom used by kidney disease sufferers.

He wrote: "I am a healthy 25-year-old male from Birmingham in England. I am blood group O+ and am desperate for funds to rebuild my life.

"I want to sell my kidney - this is 100 per cent genuine.

"I am a white male of completely perfect health. Why risk getting a kidney from a third world county? You don't have to!"

One undercover reporter replied to Tuck, posing as a relative of a kidney transplant patient in need of a donor.

In a series of follow-up emails, Tuck confirmed his interest in the sale and even boasted about other prospective customers.

In one message he said one woman from California had offered him £26,000 but got cold feet at the last minute.

Another message read: "I am not trying to rip anyone off because I know how desperate your situation is. All I want is £24,000.

"This isn't a major amount of money, especially for a vital body organ. However, I have debts to that amount and am desperate to clear them and start my life again."

The dossier of evidence was passed on to West Midlands Police and Tuck was arrested last year.

He pleaded guilty earlier this year to the never before used charge and will be sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on May 9.

Tuck was unavailable for comment but when confronted last year, he said: "I was desperate.

"I just needed £12,000 to pay off a debt to my ex-fiance and the rest was for other debts.

"I feel like a complete mug - looking back I shouldn't have done it."

A spokesperson from The Human Tissue Authority, which overseas human organ transplants said: "This is the first case that the HTA is aware of where someone has pleaded guilty to commercial dealing of organs."

A source at the Crown Prosecution Service said: "We believe this is the first case of its kind in Britain."