West Australian child protective services have launched an investigation into Gammy’s biological parents after it was discovered his biological father is a convicted child sex offender.
David and Wendy Farnell of Bunbury released a statement via a family friend on Tuesday, following claims they abandoned one of their 7-month-old twins, Gammy, who was born with Down syndrome and a congenital heart condition, in Thailand and returned home to Australia with their healthy baby girl.
“This has been absolutely devastating for them – they’re on the edge,” the friend said.
“Legally they’ve been told not to say anything but they wouldn’t be able to anyway.
“Gammy was very sick when he was born and the biological parents were told he would not survive and he had a day, at best, to live and to say goodbye.”
Since the distressing case of baby Gammy surfaced last week, revelations have emerged about Mr Farnell.
According to court documents, the man was sentenced to three years behind bars in the late 1990s for sexually molesting two girls under the age of 10.
Mrs Farnell is reportedly aware of her husband’s criminal past, and says he’s a “changed man”, but the WA Department for Child Protection is now investigating the case.
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Child protection officers are waiting to speak to Mr and Mrs Farnell and see their daughter to determine if further action is needed.
“It (action) could be a range of things – safety planning for the child concerned, in a more extreme case removal of that child or it may be nothing at all,” child protection spokesman Darren O’Malley says.
Mr and Mrs Farnell met online in 2004 through the match making website Qpid success. On the site, the couple, who married after knowing each other just eight months, are described as ‘very responsible and sincere to their marriage’.
Gammy’s 21-year-old surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua,who is currently caring for Gammy, says she wants his twin sister returned to Thailand after learning his Australian father is a convicted paedophile.
“Personally, when I heard the news I was shocked but I can’t say anything much right now,” Ms Chanbua said at a press conference in Thailand on Tuesday.
“I want her back because she’s my baby. She was in my womb.”
“If (the allegations) are proved to be true, I would like to bring my daughter back to Thailand.”
Ms Chanbua herself is also facing an investigation from Thai authorities.
She was told she would receive about $16,000 by a Thai surrogacy agency to act as a surrogate for the couple last December. Receiving payment for surrogacy in Thailand is a contravention of the country’s human trafficking laws.
