Latest news with #GovernmentofthePrincipality
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Daily Record
Three masked children held captive in 'house of horrors' since Covid pandemic
A mum suspected of imprisoning her children in a "house of horrors" since the peak of Covid gave police a chilling reason for the crime as she was handcuffed. Neighbours had sounded the alarm after hearing children's noises from the house, despite never witnessing any children entering or leaving. Police kept surveillance on the property in Oviedo, Spain, for several days before storming it and discovering three young boys who had been confined to the home for four years, reports the Mirror . The doors were kept locked and windows permanently shut, with police later reporting one of the freed children kneeling on the grass and touching it in "amazement". Spanish authorities described the house as being in a disgusting condition, filled with piles of rubbish and mountains of unused medicines. The children , twin eight-year-old boys and their 10-year-old brother, were made to wear nappies and sleep in caged beds. One officer told local media that the mother had insisted her children had "serious pathogens". The officer added: "They were very scared and around the mother , who told us all the time the little ones had serious pathologies and that we should not approach them. "They had three masks, each on top of each other. They were oblivious to any contact with reality." When police arrived to rescue them, they didn't even have properly fitting shoes. Chief Commissioner Francisco Javier Lozano of the Local Police of Oviedo told a press conference that the German couple had been detained. The initial search of the house was made more difficult due to the nationwide power outage that had plunged the country into darkness. Chief Commissioner Francisco Javier Lozano said: "We have dismantled the house of horrors." When police visited the residence, the father requested a few minutes to allow the children to put on their masks before answering the door. The children , who primarily spoke English, underwent evaluation at the Central University Hospital of Asturias and were placed under the care of the Government of the Principality. The 53-year-old husband and his 48-year-old American wife, who holds dual nationality, are currently being held without bail pending further investigation. The couple is expected to face charges of habitual abuse, child abandonment, and violating fundamental rights.
Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Triple-masked kids 'held captive' in house of horrors since Covid as mum has chilling excuse
A German couple living in Oviedo, Spain, have been arrested after police discovered three children - eight-year-old twins and their brother, 10 - who had been hidden inside for four years A mother suspected of holding her children captive in a 'house of horrors' since the height of Covid gave police a chilling excuse as she was placed in handcuffs. Neighbours had raised the alarm after hearing children making noises in the house, despite never having seen any coming or going. Police kept watch on the house in Oviedo, Spain, for several days before raiding it and found three young boys inside who had been in the home for four years, since the Covid crisis. The doors were kept locked and windows permanently closed and police afterwards reported one of the freed children kneeling on the grass and touching it in 'amazement'. Spanish police described the house as being in a disgusting state, with hoards of rubbish and mountains of accumulated medicines. The children, two eight-year-old twin boys and their ten-year-old brother, were forced to wear nappies and forced to sleep in caged beds. One police officer told local press the mother had claimed her children had 'serious pathogens'. The officer added: 'They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time the little ones had serious pathologies and that we should not approach them. 'They had three masks, each on top of each other. They were oblivious to any contact with reality." The children were kept out of school and were forbidden to leave the house. Each was barefoot and wearing nappies. When the police came to take them out of the building the children did not even have shoes of their sizes to wear. The chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier Lozano, told a press conference the German couple were arrested. The initial search of the house had been made more difficult because Spain was in darkness by the electricity outage. He added: 'We have dismantled the house of horrors.' When police knocked on the front door, the father answered but asked the officers to wait for a few minutes so the children could put their masks on. The children, who spoke mostly in English, were evaluated at the Central University Hospital of Asturias and placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality. The 53-year-old husband and his wife, a 48-year-old American, with dual nationality are currently in custody without bail pending further investigations. The pair are expected to be charged with crimes of habitual abuse, abandonment of minors, and against fundamental rights.
