Baby-smuggling Britons sentenced by Romanian court

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SEATTLE TIMES NEWS SERVICESBy SEATTLE TIMES NEWS SERVICES

BUCHAREST, Romania - A British couple was found guilty and sentenced to two years and four months in prison today for buying and trying to smuggle a baby out of Romania, court officials said

The couple, Adrian and Bernadette Mooney, have 10 days in which to appeal the sentence imposed by a Bucharest court.

The court ordered that they be expelled from Romania once the sentence is served.

Three middlemen were sentenced to two years and eight months in prison and the parents will have to serve a year in prison once they turn 18 years old.

The Mooneys, arrested July 6 with a 5-month-old baby hidden in their car, were prosecuted under new adoption laws to stem baby trafficking in Romania that has increased since the 1989 overthrow of communism.