[Benjamin]

The Australian couple accused of abandoning a baby born with Down's syndrome to a Thai surrogate mother say they wanted to take him home.

David and Wendy Farnell, speaking publicly for the first time, insisted the Thai mother would not hand over Gammy, the seven-month-old baby boy.

They did take his twin sister. They say they will fight to get Gammy back.

The surrogate mother says the couple deliberately left Gammy behind because of his disabilities.

The couple, which denies this, had earlier told Australian media they did not know of his existence, and that Pattharamon Chanbua, 21, was lying.

In an exclusive interview on Australia's Channel Nine on Sunday, David Farnell said: "We did not abandon our son.

"The surrogate mother - it is her choice if she wants to give you the baby or not give you the baby. Although you have a surrogacy agreement, it really doesn't mean anything. It is her decision, and our surrogate mother said that she wanted to keep the baby boy."

David Farnell was also rigorously questioned during the TV interview about his criminal past, and he insisted he was no longer a danger to young girls, says the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney.

Farnell was jailed in the 1990s for a series of offences against children.

Officials say they have now managed to reach the couple, but have no major concerns at present.

Ms Chanbua said the couple had asked her to have an abortion when she was told of the child's condition four months after becoming pregnant.

She said she refused, as it was against her Buddhist beliefs. Abortion on the grounds of foetal impairment is illegal in Thailand.

Besides Down's syndrome, Gammy has a congenital heart condition and a lung infection.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-28732511