Thai court lets two men take surrogate baby

A GAY American-Spanish couple have won custody of their surrogate-born daughter in Thailand 15 months after her birth mother blocked her departure because they are homosexual.

Gordon Lake and Manuel Valero, both 41, had expected to spend just three weeks in the kingdom when they arrived to witness the birth of Carmen in January 2015.

But the surrogate refused to sign documents allowing them to leave with the baby. Mr Lake has been living in hiding with the child in a Bangkok apartment since her birth, while his husband has travelled between Thailand and their home in Spain.

The ruling by a Thai court to grant custody to Mr Lake as the biological mother seemed to clear the way for the couple to take Carmen to Spain. They already have a son who was born to an Indian surrogate.

Since the case began, Thailand has banned commercial surrogacy for foreign couples.