Spanish Police Rescue 10-Year-Old Boy Allegedly Imprisoned by Father for a Year

According to agents from the child protection center, the defendant, a 47-year-old man, was charged with neglect of the child and sequestration. The judicial authority issued a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting his son. He was also deprived of his passport. The forty-year-old is prohibited from leaving the country. As for the child, he is undergoing examinations, which will have to determine the extent of the emotional and psychological damage suffered.

The arrest of the Moroccan living abroad follows an investigation into the child’s living conditions. The Spanish authorities had received information that the defendant was mistreating his son. The investigators then obtained a court order to access the property on January 25, 2022. On their arrival, they found the boy "isolated" and "cloistered" in a room inside his own home. The minor told them that he had not left his room for a year, except to go to the toilet. He also said that he spent most of his time playing video games and watching television, without communicating with other people.

These statements were corroborated by the child’s aunt and her son. The latter live at the same address as the minor. They said they had spent months without seeing the boy, as he remained in his room all the time.