California pair charged with abusing at least 14 surrogate-born children - BBC
A California couple, Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, has been charged with abusing at least 14 surrogate-born children. Prosecutors described the home as a 'house of horrors' where children were monitored by cameras and subjected to physical abuse.
Why it matters
This case highlights significant regulatory and ethical concerns regarding the surrogacy industry and the protection of children in private custody arrangements.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Olivia Ireland 'House of Horrors': California couple accused of abusing surrogate-born children A California pair has been charged with multiple counts of abusing at least 14 surrogate-born children - some as young as two months old - and dissuading a witness.
"The number of children who were subjected to this alleged horrific abuse is unprecedented," Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J Hochman said in a statement.
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, who US media describe as a couple, were arrested at their Arcadia mansion on Tuesday.
The pair pleaded not guilty at a Pasadena courthouse, the BBC's US partner CBS News reported.
Xuan, 66, and Zhang, 39, are accused of conspiring to subject 15 of the 16 children living in their home to repeated physical abuse, after 21 children were removed from their custody last year.
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