Latest news with #LocalPoliceofOviedo
Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Inside 'house of horrors' where kids held prisoner in nappies and cages
A couple is alleged to have kept their two twins and their 10-year-old brother captive in a house of horrors in the where they were forced to sleep in cages for four years Children freed from an alleged "house of horrors" where they were forced to sleep in cages for four years gave a heartbreaking reaction after their liberation. A German couple was arrested for alleged child abuse after officers raided their home. Three young boys, two twins aged eight and their 10-year-old brother, reportedly were held captive in the house for four years after Covid crisis began. The youngsters were all found wearing face masks, and when they were finally freed, they knelt on the grass and "touched it with amazement," according to police. The mother allegedly told police she thought it was the best way to keep them safe. Spanish police said the house in the Asturian capital Oviedo, in northern Spain, was in a disgusting state, with hoards of rubbish and mountains of accumulated medicines together with filthy pet excrement and a cat with a massive tumour. The children were forced to wear nappies and had to sleep in caged beds, police said. The children were kept out of school and were forbidden to leave the house. Doors were locked and windows permanently closed and they couldn't even go into the garden. Police said the children were kept so well hidden that neighbours did not know they were inside the home. A 53-year-old German husband and his wife, a 48-year-old American, with dual nationality are being held in custody without bail pending further investigations. The operation began on April 14 after a resident of the area raised the alarm. The woman had heard voices that sounded like children coming from the house although he had never seen anyone leave the house to play or go to school. But, after several days of surveillance, the investigators were clear that more than one person had to live there. This was indicated by the boxes of food of the orders that the man brought into the home. The agents could not believe what they found when they entered the house. The minors were barefoot, wearing nappies and still sleeping in cribs. When they wanted to take them out of the building, they did not even have shoes of their size, since they had not bought shoes for years. The chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier Lozano, gave a press conference on Wednesday in which he explained the details of the operation, which resulted in the arrest of the couple at 2.45pm on Monday. The initial search of the house was made more difficult because Spain had been plunged into darkness by the electricity outrage. When officers knocked on the door, the dad answered but asked police to wait a few minutes so their children could put on masks, which was reported to be three each. One officer told the local press: "They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time that 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 spoke mostly in English. After being evaluated at the Central University Hospital of Asturias, they have been placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality. It is not ruled out that their parents could be charged with crimes of habitual abuse, abandonment of minors, and against fundamental rights. As a summary of the operation, the words of the chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier López Lozano said: "We have dismantled the house of horrors".
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.
The Sun
01-05-2025
- The Sun
Twins & brother, 8 & 10, discovered imprisoned in ‘House of Horrors' in Spain after being held captive since Covid
COPS have uncovered a "house of horrors" where parents kept three children captive since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. A German couple have been arrested for alleged child abuse after the police raided the house in Spain. 9 9 9 The police found three young boys at the Oviedo home - dubbed the "house of horrors" - who are thought to have lived there for four years since the pandemic began. The eight-year-old twins and ten-year-old boy were discovered in horrific conditions - each wearing three face masks and forced to wear nappies and sleep in caged beds. The police said the house was full of rubbish and old medicines as well as filthy pet excrement and a cat with a massive tumour. The children were reportedly kept out of school and were forbidden to leave the house. The doors were locked and windows permanently closed - even the garden was off limits. The children were kept so hidden that even neighbours did not realise they were in the house. Cops were only called when a resident in the area raised the alarm. The woman reportedly heard voices that sounded like children coming from the house despite never having seen anyone leave the house to play or go to school. After several days of surveillance cops were clear that more than just the man they saw coming in and out had to live there. This was indicated by the movements that could be sensed through the few windows that were not closed as well as the boxes of food of the orders that the man brought into the home. Connecticut woman who allegedly held stepson captive for over 20 years pleads not guilty But nothing could prepare the agents for what they would find when they entered the horror house. The children were barefoot, wearing nappies and still sleeping in cribs. When they wanted to take them out of the building they did not even have shoes of their size as they had not bought shoes for years. The police added that when the children were freed, one of them knelt on the grass and "touched it with amazement". The chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier Lozano explained the details of the operation leading to the arrest of the couple at 2.45pm on Monday. The initial search of the house was reportedly made more difficult because Spain had been plunged into darkness by the electricity outrage. When the cops 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. 9 9 9 One police officer told the Spanish press: "They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time that 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." Lozano added: "We have dismantled the house of horrors". The children's parents - a 53-year-old German husband and his 48-year-old American wife - are being held in custody without bail pending further investigations. It is unknown why the couple were keeping the kids locked inside their own home. But the mother has reportedly told police they thought it was the best way to keep them safe. Having been checked out at the Central University Hospital of Asturias the children have now been placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality. 9 9
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.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Twins, eight, and 10-year-old boy found wearing nappies and sleeping in cribs after being locked inside Spanish 'house of horrors' for FOUR years
A couple have been arrested for alleged child abuse after police raided a 'house of horrors' in Spain where they found three boys that had lived there alone for four years. Spanish police said the house was in a disgusting state, with hoards of rubbish and mountains of accumulated medicines. Surfaces were covered in filthy pet excrement and the family also had a cat with a massive tumour. The children, two eight-year-old twin boys and their ten-year-old brother, were found wearing nappies and discovered they were forced to sleep in caged beds during their ordeal. The 'house of horrors', as investigators dubbed it, was discovered in Oviedo, the capital city of Asturias in northern Spain. The three young boys were freed, having apparently lived solely in the house for four years since the Covid crisis. The motivation of the parents for keeping the children locked in their own home is not yet known, but the youngsters were all wearing three face masks each when they were discovered. The American mother, 48, reportedly told police that she and her German husband, 58, thought it was the best way to keep them safe. In shocking scenes, the children were kept out of school and forbidden to leave the house. Doors were locked and the windows were permanently. The children were not even allowed to go into the garden. Police said when the children were freed, one of them knelt on the grass and 'touched it with amazement'. Along the years, the children were kept so hidden that even neighbours did not realise they were in the house. The husband and wife duo are now being held in custody without bail pending further investigations following the discovery of the children. The operation and investigation into the children began on April 14th after a resident of the area raised the alarm. The woman had heard voices that sounded like children coming from the house although she had never seen anyone leave the home to play or go to school. But, after several days of surveillance, the investigators were clear that more than one person had to live there. This was indicated by the movements that could be sensed through the few windows that were not closed, and the number of boxes of food orders that the man brought into the home. After deciding to storm the property, agents could not believe what they found when they entered the house. The minors were barefoot, wearing diapers and still sleeping in cribs. When they wanted to take them out of the building, they did not even have shoes of their size, since they had not been bought shoes for years. The chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier Lozano, gave a press conference on Wednesday in which he explained the details of the operation that saw the arrest of the couple at 2.45pm on Monday. The initial search of the house was made more difficult because Spain had been plunged into darkness by an electricity outrage. 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. One police officer told the Spanish press: 'They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time that 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.' At the moment, the reasons that led this family to live in captivity since 2021 and in unsanitary conditions inside the Asturian villa are unknown. The children spoke mostly in English. After being evaluated at the Central University Hospital of Asturias, they have been placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality. It is not ruled out that their parents will be charged with crimes of habitual abuse, abandonment of minors, and against fundamental rights. As a summary of the operation, the chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier López Lozano said: 'We have dismantled the house of horrors'.
