A Chinese couple with seven daughters allegedly bought a baby boy to carry on their family name.

The couple from south China’s Guangdong province paid 92,000 yuan (£10,700) for the "abducted" child, a court heard.

Tens of thousands of children go missing in China every year, and many are victims of huge trafficking rings that operate in the country.

Poor communities often have a traditional preference for male offspring, who can provide support to their elderly parents and carry on the family name.

Women join their husband’s family tree after they marry, even after death.

The husband and wife who are standing trial claim they were repeatedly assured by the people who introduced the child to them that he had not been trafficked.

They say they had met a woman who claimed to be the child’s mother.