Missouri judge rules for father in twins case

The girls’ father, Aaron Wecker of Missouri, said in papers filed on Monday in St. Louis Circuit Court that the girls’ mother, Tranda Wecker, had neglected the twins by trying to sell them on the Internet.

He said that the girls had been placed in foster homes because of Tranda Wecker’s actions.

Alan and Judith Kilshaw, the British couple who took the twins from the United States after adopting them over the Internet, seek to regain custody of the children taken from them by police and social workers in a dramatic late-night operation last week.

Judge Andrew Kirkwood, in announcing the ruling at the High Court in Birmingham, central England, called for “impartial, responsible research”to resolve the dispute that has created a storm of controversy in England.

Kirkwood said it could be weeks before a final decision was made.

A Californian couple, Richard and Vickie Allen, also say they adopted the twins over the Internet, but had them taken away by the girls’ natural mother who then handed them over to the Kilshaws.

The girls’ biological mother has said that she wants her babies back in the US.

Garvey’s order is effective until another court hearing set for February 14.