The man at the centre of a surrogacy scandal involving a disabled baby allegedly left in Thailand by his Australian parents reportedly has a prior conviction and has spent time in jail.
The biological parents of seven-month-old Gammy are accused of abandoning him in Thailand after he and his healthy twin sister were born to a local surrogate.
His sister was brought back to Australia.
The Nine Network says the father’s wife has confirmed her husband has a conviction for indecently dealing with a child under 13 and has served jail time after being found guilty in 1998.
She says she is aware of the past conviction, Nine says, but believes he is a good man despite his criminal records.
The couple, who have not been identified but live in Western Australia, deny abandoning Gammy and claim they had no knowledge of a second child.
Meanwhile, Gammy’s surrogate mother says she is shocked by the reports regarding his father and now wants the boy’s sister returned to her in Thailand, Fairfax reports. – AAP
IMAGE: Thai surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua (L) holds her baby Gammy, born with Down Syndrome, at the Samitivej hospital, Sriracha district in Chonburi province on August 4, 2014. The surrogate mother of a baby reportedly abandoned by his Australian parents in Thailand because he has Down Syndrome was a ‘saint’ and ‘absolute hero’, Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said. (NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images)