Earlier this week the story of baby Gammy rocked international headlines when his surrogate says his biological parents abandoned him because he had Down’s syndrome and a heart condition. Now his biological parents David and Wendy Farnell are ready to tell their side of the story. To further complicate matters, David is a convicted pedophile.
Pattharamon Janbua, the Thai surrogate who carried the couple’s children, says the Farnells told her to get an abortion when they found out one of the babies she was carrying had Down’s syndrome. She decided to have the baby, named Gammy, anyway because of her religious beliefs, and has set up a fund to help pay for his medical costs that also include treatment for a heart condition. The family took Gammy’s sister back home to them with Australia, and they are going to appear on the Aussie 60 Minutes Sunday to explain themselves.
The show’s producer has made it clear that they will not be paying the Farnells for their appearance, and that all revenue generated from the event will be used to help Gammy. The couple has not spoken to anyone officially, but did issue a statement pleading that “they would like Australia to hear their side of the story, before passing judgment on them.”
In the 80s David Farnell was convicted of pedophilia and served time in jail for assaulting two young girls. He was also convicted of 15 indecent assault charges in 1997. He would arrange for secret meetings with young girls in sheds, where he would touch them inappropriately. Farnell had three children of his own, and one of them, a son, has spoken to the press about what a good father his dad is.
“We all live quite close to each other and we’ve all got a strong relationship, even my mother, his ex-wife, regardless of all the stuff that’s happened in the past, we are all real tight,” Mr Farnell’s son said. “He’s taken 10 years to get his life back on track and he did and he has done so well and this, this has been shattering.”
“I can tell you how good of a father my dad was towards us. He’s amazing. He’s brought the best out of all of us kids,” the son said. “He’s just got a massive heart. He’s made mistakes, we’ve accepted it… he’s made up for them.”
