Gay couple win Thai custody battle

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AFP

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Spaniard Manuel Valero told reporters outside the court in Bangkok that he was delighted the nightmare of the custody battle was over

A same-sex American-Spanish couple have won a high-profile custody battle over a baby born through a Thai surrogate mother who wanted to keep the child after she found out they were gay.

Bangkok’s Family Court ruled that the legal guardian of the child is Gordon Lake, her American biological father.

The child was born before a Thai ban on commercial surrogacy was imposed.

Correspondents say that the case was complicated by the fact that Thai law does not recognise same-sex marriages.

“The court has granted legal custody of [the child] Carmen Lake to Gordon Lake, my client, and [said] that my client is her only guardian,” Mr Lake’s lawyer Rachapol Sirikulchit said.

Mr Lake and his partner, Spaniard Manuel Santos, both 41, have been in Thailand since beginning their legal battle over Carmen since she was born in January 2015.

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Gay couple win Thai custody battle
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