Kilshaws plan another US adoption

The couple make plans to adopt another child

The north Wales couple at the centre of the internet adoption scandal have said that they will travel to the US to try to adopt another child.

Alan and Judith Kilshaw from Buckley in Flintshire sparked an international custody battle earlier this year, after they tried to adopt twin girls who they found over the internet.

Adoption of twins failed

But their fight to keep the girls in Britain ended after a judge ruled that Belinda and Kimberley should return to their home in the US state of Missouri.

Mrs Kilshaw has now said she will try to adopt a child as soon as she can afford to.

She said she would then take the child, along with her sons James and Rupert, to live in another part of Europe so that she would not have the same problems with social services that she had over her failed bid to adopt the American twin girls.

Mrs Kilshaw said: "If I stayed abroad for a few years then I can return and social services will not try to take the child from me."

Judith Kilshaw says she will move to another part of Europe

Meanwhile Mr Kilshaw plans to stay in Wales so that he can continue with his job.

But he insisted that if he could find suitable work in America then he would leave with the rest of the family.

He said: "Ideally, if I had employment I would go out there tomorrow".

The couple have stressed that they are not splitting up but they claim this is simply the only way they can adopt another child abroad.

New laws

In the wake of the Welsh couple's internet adoption attempts new laws tightening up international procedure have come into force.

Anyone who attempts to bring children into the England or Wales without their suitability being assessed and approved by authorities could now face jail or a hefty fine.

The legislation is designed to make it illegal to adopt from abroad without going through the same rigorous checks as would apply if adopting in England and Wales.

Failure to comply could mean three months in jail or a £5,000 fine.

But adoption agencies have warned that the new laws contain loopholes because Britain recognises adoption procedures in the US and most other European countries.

So couples adopting there will still be exempt from these stringent checks.

The government is considering further legislation to tackle this.