From stolen sperm to unwanted child, an international couple is going through a court battle with elements that would put the sudsiest soap opera to shame in comparison. The incident has so many elements and twist and turns, that if made into a movie would likely a blockbuster.

Source: Screen grab from Facebook/Ares Gutierrez

Anna, a Kiwi woman in her 40s married Mohammed Fouad, 33, in Auckland, New Zealand in 2008. They met at the United Arab Emirates, had a brief courtship and then married.

When Anna could not become pregnant despite the couple's many attempts, they agreed to find a surrogate mother.

In 2010, Anna asked four times for Mr Fouad's sperm sample which she said she will bring for testing in the hospital where she works. He was unaware that without his permission, Anna used the sperm to impregnate via IVF Elvie Ibanez, the Filipino maid of the couple in their Al Ain home.

Ms Ibanez was paid $4,900 for lending her womb to the couple, although surrogacy is illegal in UAE. New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that its consulate in Dubai knew of Anna's case since it provided notarial service when Anna had the baby adopted later.

Besides the adoption, the consulate also witnessed the surrogacy agreement among the three. The document, signed on Jan 15, 2012, was witnessed by then consular officer Glenda King.

Ms Ibanez gave birth to a baby girl, now 3 years old, named Saiwa. Anna refused to adopt Saiwa, but instead she had her adopted by an Egyptian family.

The Filipino maid is back in the Philippines, while Mr Fouad sued Anna for misusing his sperm through a surrogacy procedure he was unaware of. In turn, Anna filed for divorce.

Mr Fouad told the court, quoted by Gulf News, "I was aghast ... mortified when Anna blurted out the truth. Here was my wife who had used my sperm to impregnate a woman she had hired to do our dishes."

"I was raging mad and wanted to alert the authorities, but Anna said if I did, Elvie would be arrested for getting pregnant out of wedlock and my child would be born in jail and deported," he added.

The next hearing for their case is on Oct 20.