London, April 7 (Inditop) Pop diva Madonna’s hopes of adopting Malawian child Mercy James were boosted when the girl’s family said they would support the star.

Mercy’s uncle Peter Baneti said he would fight custody attempts by James Kambewa, 24, who claims to be the three-year-old’s dad, reported thesun.com.

Peter said: “This man didn’t care about his girlfriend, Mercy’s mother, when she needed him most. He didn’t even come to see his baby.”

High court Judge Esimie Chombo had rejected Madonna’s adoption plea as under the law prospective parents must be residents of Malawi for 18 to 24 months before adoption.