Surrogate baby boy abused by gay dads
Source: AFP |
July 4, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AUSTRALIAN police have described as "depraved" the case of a six-year-old boy obtained by his gay parents via a surrogate mother and then sexually abused by them and others.
Authorities in Australia and the United States worked together to bring to justice the men, who had lived in the north Queensland city of Cairns and presented themselves as loving fathers.
But the baby boy obtained from a Russian surrogate in 2005 and formally adopted had been offered to others for sexual exploitation from a very young age.
Both men were arrested in California early last year. Last weekend one was jailed in the United States for 40 years while the other is awaiting sentence.
"None of these cases is very good," said Queensland Detective Inspector Jon Rouse, who heads a task force investigating online child exploitation and abuse.
"What's pretty sad about this one is the way this child came into their lives. It's just really a tragedy.
"It's extremely depraved."
It is not known whether the boy was conceived with one of the men's sperm. But he had been living as the couple's son when a chance discovery in New Zealand put police on their track.
Authorities investigating a child sex offender in Wellington had found images of the boy on the man's computer.
The images were not illegal but raised red flags with Australian police who saw them as "modelling shots."
Further investigation unearthed chat logs between the couple and other child sex offenders.
When police raided the couple's home while they were in the US, they found enough material on laptops and other devices to ensure their arrest and the boy's removal from their care.
Rouse said police were determined to ensure all offenders were tracked down.
"We are talking about a fairly extensive network of child sex offenders," he said.
Speaking to the ABC television channel, Rouse said: "With this network just be rest assured that we will pursue them to the ends of the Earth to make sure each and every one of them faces justice for what their role has been in crimes against this child."
Authorities in Australia and the United States worked together to bring to justice the men, who had lived in the north Queensland city of Cairns and presented themselves as loving fathers.
But the baby boy obtained from a Russian surrogate in 2005 and formally adopted had been offered to others for sexual exploitation from a very young age.
Both men were arrested in California early last year. Last weekend one was jailed in the United States for 40 years while the other is awaiting sentence.
"None of these cases is very good," said Queensland Detective Inspector Jon Rouse, who heads a task force investigating online child exploitation and abuse.
"What's pretty sad about this one is the way this child came into their lives. It's just really a tragedy.
"It's extremely depraved."
It is not known whether the boy was conceived with one of the men's sperm. But he had been living as the couple's son when a chance discovery in New Zealand put police on their track.
Authorities investigating a child sex offender in Wellington had found images of the boy on the man's computer.
The images were not illegal but raised red flags with Australian police who saw them as "modelling shots."
Further investigation unearthed chat logs between the couple and other child sex offenders.
When police raided the couple's home while they were in the US, they found enough material on laptops and other devices to ensure their arrest and the boy's removal from their care.
Rouse said police were determined to ensure all offenders were tracked down.
"We are talking about a fairly extensive network of child sex offenders," he said.
Speaking to the ABC television channel, Rouse said: "With this network just be rest assured that we will pursue them to the ends of the Earth to make sure each and every one of them faces justice for what their role has been in crimes against this child."
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