News@www.adoption-net.co.uk
This story published March 19, 2001

UK judge considers twins' future

The future of the adopted internet twins was today back in the hands of the British courts.

A hearing at the High Court in Birmingham is likely to consider what should happen to the twins next in the light of recent ruling in the courts in the US. Three days has been set aside for the case.

A spokeswoman for the Lord Chanecllor's department said that the hearing was being held in private and would consider the latest developments in the case with reports from the Offical Solicitor Lawrence Oates.

It is not known if the judge will be ready to make a final decison about the twins' future this week. The spokeswoman said that the Judge could make a decision at any point.

A judge in Arkansas recently annulled the adoption of the twins by British couple Alan and Judith Kilshaw and said the eight-month-old baby girls should be returned to the US.

The future of the twins should be decided by the courts in Missouri where the twins were born and both birth parents live, he said.

They are currently in the care of Flintshire County Council who removed the girls from Mr and Mrs Kilshaw after a frenzy of media interest in the case in January.

The Arkansas judge Mackie Pierce has said he does not believe the babies should be returned to their birth mother, Tranda Wecker despite her appeals that she wants her daughters back.

In an interview this month, he said: "The last thing I want to see is those children go back to Tranda Wecker. Ms Wecker committed fraud and intentionally misled and deceived a number of people.

"It is my belief that she misled two attorneys and I really personally believe she misled the Kilshaws."

He described it as the most disturbing custody case he'd seen in 20 years of dealing with adoptions.

"If you look at the history of these twins from the date of birth to now, it's really sad. They've never had any extended time with a parent," he said.

He added, however, that Ms Wecker did not lie under oath and did not sign a sworn statement that would make her subject to criminal penalties.

The Kilshaws have told US TV that, if they can't have the twins, the children should go to another family rather than to their natural mother or father.

The California couple Richard and Vicky Allen, who originally sparked the furore over the twins claiming that they had 'bought' them first have now bowed out of the fight for custody and are concentrating on retaining custody of a two-year-old boy they are trying to adopt.

The lost custody of the toddler after Mr Allen, 49, was accused of molesting two teenage babysitters. He has denied the charges.

The Allens and Kilshaws both used a San Diego-based Internet adoption service, A Caring Heart, to adopt the twins.

In a new twist last week FBI agents raided the home of the owner of A Caring Heart, Tina Johnson, and social workers took her own adopted children, two infants and a toddler, into care.

An FBI spokeswoman would not comment on the raid but the FBI has previously said that Ms Johnson was under investigation for allegations of fraud in connection with her adoption business.

Also today the first face-to-face meeting between the Allens and Kilshaws on the Oprah Winfrey Show was due to be screened on British TV for the first time.

Channel 5 said it had decided to broadcast the programme, first shown in the US in February, "in the interests of the public" and because it illustrated the dangers of adopting babies on the web.

The first of two 45-minute programmes due due to go out at 1pm today. The second programme will be screen tomorrow at 1pm.

A spokeswoman for Channel 5 said: "The show clearly illustrates the dangers of adopting babies from abroad and over the internet.

"People all over the world have seen the programme - so should those living in the UK. We are convinced that the content of the programme could in no way harm these young babies or the proper administration of the court proceedings."