Australian nurse Tammy Davis-Charles sentenced to 18 months' jail in Cambodia

[geovalin]

Phnom Penh: Australian Tammy Davis-Charles wept today after being sentenced in a Cambodian court to 18 months' jail for paying Cambodian women to have surrogate babies for Australian couples.

Two Cambodians who worked with Ms Davis-Charles in the surrogacy business were also convicted and jailed for 18 months.

 

 

Nurse Tammy Davis-Charles after her arrest last year. Photo: Cambodian National Police

The sentence will begin from when they were arrested in November last year.

Judge Sor Lina said there was sufficient evidence to prove that 23 Cambodian women were paid $US10,000 each to have surrogate babies and that the couples paid an average of $US50,000 for each baby.

Craig Skehan

 

read more http://www.smh.com.au/world/australian-nurse-tammy-davischarles-sentenced-to-18-months-jail-in-cambodia-20170803-gxofsl.html

[webfact]

Australian nurse jailed in Cambodia for running illegal surrogacy clinic

 

A police vehicle brings Australian Tammy Davis-Charles, 49, (seated inside the vehicle), to the Municipal Court of Phnom Penh for sentencing, Cambodia August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Samrang Pring

 

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - An Australian nurse and two Cambodian assistants were found guilty of running an illegal commercial surrogacy clinic in Cambodia on Thursday and sentenced to 1-1/2 years in prison.

 

Southeast Asia had been a popular international destination for infertile couples looking to have babies through commercial surrogacy. But Thailand banned the practice in 2015 after a series of high-profile cases and Cambodia followed suit in 2016.

 

Tammy Davis-Charles, 49, was guilty of being a intermediary in surrogacy and engaging in falsifying documents along with two Cambodian staff, Penh Rithy and Samrithchan Chariya, said Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge So Lyna.

 

Penh Rithy and Samrithchan Chariya knew about the commercial surrogacy ban but still engaged in the business, said the judge.

 

Judge So Lyna said Davis-Charles charged foreign couples between $50,000 to $70,000 for surrogacy services and paid Cambodian women between $10,000 to $12,000 to carry babies on their behalf.

 

She said Davis-Charles provided surrogacy services to 23 Australian and American couples and that Davis-Charles paid Penh Rithy $600 to $800 to organise paperwork for babies born through Cambodian surrogate mothers so that they could leave Cambodia with their parents.

 

A tearful Davis-Charles, who denied the charges against her, refused to answer reporters' questions after the verdict was read in court.

 

The Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh did not reply to a Reuters request for comment.

 

Davis-Charles, who has been detained in the Cambodian capital since Nov. 2016, told the court during the trial that her job was only to take care of surrogate mothers.

 

She said she did not know surrogacy was illegal in Cambodia.

 

Davis Charles was also fined $1,000 and Penh Rithy and Samrithchan Chariya were fined $500 each.

 

As a result of the ban on commercial surrogacy in Cambodia and Thailand, many couples are now turning to communist Laos for In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and surrogacy services.

 

Despite banning commercial surrogacy, neighboring Thailand remains a key centre for surrogate births, thanks to sophisticated medical care.

 

(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-03

[trogers]

Was it the money, professional pride or her pity for childless couples that motivated her into this venture?

[phantomfiddler]

$40,000 profit on a $50,000 deal seems a bit over the top ! Since there is such an obvious need for this type of service surely it would be in everyone,s best interests to set up a facility that was not so financially unbalanced ?

[Here2008]

 

 

Australia permits altruistic surrogacy but commercial surrogacy is a criminal offence.

 

This woman when she eventually returns to Australia will have to face professional charges which will likely result in her being struck from the professional nursing/midwifery Register. 

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, trogers said:

Was it the money, professional pride or her pity for childless couples that motivated her into this venture?

"charged foreign couples between $50,000 to $70,000 for surrogacy services and paid Cambodian women between $10,000 to $12,000"

What do you think?

[Get Real]

10 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

"charged foreign couples between $50,000 to $70,000 for surrogacy services and paid Cambodian women between $10,000 to $12,000"

What do you think?

You might have a point that he slightly missed there....

[trogers]

32 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

"charged foreign couples between $50,000 to $70,000 for surrogacy services and paid Cambodian women between $10,000 to $12,000"

What do you think?

She has a golden heart...

[Foozool]

She won't go back to Australia. She will be retired in Thailand with lots of money she has already made. 

[dlodratsab]

8 hours ago, Here2008 said:

 

 

Australia permits altruistic surrogacy but commercial surrogacy is a criminal offence.

 

This woman when she eventually returns to Australia will have to face professional charges which will likely result in her being struck from the professional nursing/midwifery Register. 

is it me? or is there something a bit strange re her names. sounds a bit "show bizz" T/Sammy Davis -Charles?

[Ulic]

13 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

$40,000 profit on a $50,000 deal seems a bit over the top ! Since there is such an obvious need for this type of service surely it would be in everyone,s best interests to set up a facility that was not so financially unbalanced ?

She would still have to pay the fertility clinic and doctors girls living expenses etc. Not saying she

did not profit from the venture but certainly not $40K in profit

[Thechook]

She broke the law, now do you're time

[balo]

She knew it was a risky business , now pay the prize.