Melbourne mum sentenced for illegal surrogacy business
A Melbourne nurse has been sentenced to 18 months in Cambodia's notorious Prey Sar prison after being caught running an illegal surrogacy clinic.
49-year-old Tammy Davis-Charles was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining documents, such as birth certificates, to help adoptive parents illegally adopt Cambodian children and bring them back to Australia.
The mother of six, who herself has twin boys conceived using a Thai surrogate, begged to be released, saying she had "lost everything," reports News.com.au.
Davis-Charles and two co-accused, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges, were sentenced to 18 months inside the overcrowded prison.
Judge So Lina said foreign couples paid Davis-Charles at least $50,000 to organise a surrogate, with Cambodian women receiving $10,000 to carry the baby, ABC reports.
Hers was one of more than 50 surrogacy clinics and brokers operating in Cambodia that were exposed following a crackdown on the practice, SMH reports.
This article first published on Marie Claire.
