Fresh concern has been raised over the welfare of the youngest member of an “African tribe” camping in a Scottish wood amid suggestions that she is pregnant.
The self-proclaimed “Kingdom of Kubala”, comprising a man, his wife and their “handmaiden”, have pitched tents on land near Jedburgh in the Borders.
The group insist they are reclaiming land stolen from a Black Jewish tribe centuries ago, but the landowner David Palmer claims they are a nuisance and is taking legal action to have them forcibly removed. A warrant to evict them is almost certain to be granted at Jedburgh sheriff court on Thursday.
The American citizen, whose real name is Kaura Taylor, claims she is a “surrogate” for the Queen
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It is believed Taylor is a former chess prodigy — her family says she has been “brainwashed”
PETER SUMMERS/GETTY IMAGES
Further fears have been raised for the 21-year-old who calls herself Asnat and proclaims she is a loyal servant of couple Kofi Offeh, 36, from Ghana, and Jean Gasho, 42, from Zimbabwe, who insist they should be addressed as King Atehene and Queen Nandi. In reality, she is an American called Kaura Taylor, a former chess prodigy whose relatives have begged her to return home to Texas.
In a video shared on Facebook, Taylor, who appears to have a visibly swollen belly, suggested she had a child on the way. “I am the inferior mistress and I play as a surrogate for the queen,” she said.
One Jedburgh resident said: “This is heartbreaking. The authorities need to intervene and end this farce before any more harm can be done.”
Taylor’s mother Melba Whitehead said last week that her daughter was a bright young woman who had wanted to study law but had developed problems with her mental health. “This cult is crazy. They pose a threat to everyone around them,” she said.
King Atehene, real name Kofi Offeh, sits by a fire in the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Kubala
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Offeh insists he is the messiah and a descendant of the biblical King David. He has posted a video online of Gasho fanning him with a peacock feather, prompting concern for their wellbeing and welfare. “If the creator wants us to be in the woods then we shall always be in the woods,” he said. “We are not leaving.”
Videos on social media show the trio bathing in a stream, praying by a river wearing only foraged leaves, sweeping the ground with handmade brooms and chanting by a fire under the stars.
Last week there were claims that the camp dwellers were the subject of criminal attacks by stone-throwing vigilantes.
Scottish Borders council said the landowner had served notice requiring the campers to leave by 5pm on Monday and that he now intended to obtain a court eviction order.
“We understand they intend to take this step quickly,” a spokesman said.
It was also reported that a woman travelled from Birmingham to the campsite on Tuesday after watching videos of Offeh and the two women on social media. “We spoke for hours and they were lovely,” the woman, who asked not to be named, told The Scottish Sun. “The king asked me to join them.”