Five-year-old ill child taken from hospital by parents.

[julie]

The police are calling it a case of suspected child neglect which is a offence in England.

[xtina]

The police are calling it a case of suspected child neglect which is a offence in England.

it wasn't neglect though was it...........they had their child's best interest at heart......

they intended selling their holiday home ....to pay for his treatment ...[unlike some]

[DCI]

it wasn't neglect though was it...........they had their child's best interest at heart......

they intended selling their holiday home ....to pay for his treatment ...[unlike some]

INTENDED?

How long would it have taken to sell it though. The child is critically ill. I don't  call that in his best interests!

[xtina]

INTENDED?

How long would it have taken to sell it though. The child is critically ill. I don't  call that in his best interests!

the child is terminally ill ...they wanted better treatment...wanted to do every thing they could..as parents

[ferryman]

the child is terminally ill ...they wanted better treatment...wanted to do every thing they could..as parents

UK doctors at the Southampton General hospital reckoned Ashya had (has!) an excellent chance of survival under treatments available at that hospital.

And the concern about food was whether Ashya's parents have the technical expertise to give it to him by means of the equipment to give it to him; not whether they had the food.

[sadie]

I would have felt considerably safer leaving my child in our effectively locked apartment whilst I was eating 50 metres away in what was the garden to the apartment, than removing my desperately ill child from the treatment he was about to have in hospital. 

Remember, only once (that I know of) has a child been abducted from their bed ... and that child was Madeleine.  So no previous history of such a happening.


I lost my son to exactly the same agreesive tumour as Aysha has.  Medulla Blastoma.  They told me that it was a fast growing tumour on the top of the spine growing into and pressing on to the brain.  His brain was spot irradiated as was his spine, but then it returned on the base of his spine.  It grew so rapidly. 

Time is so important with these damned agressive tumours, every hour is important.  I wouldn't have removed my son at that stage,


BUT, unless tbeir religion, Jehovas Witnesses, had anything to do with it, I hesitate to criticize the family, 
They sound very caring parents and I admire them for their compasionn and endeavour.  And I think the Spanish Authorities are being far too heavy handed.


Despite the odds being steeply against him, I pray that he might recover.  But FGS let them get on with it.  Time is so important.


(((((  HUGS  )))))) for little Aysha and (((((  HUGS ))))) for all the family.  My love to you all.


sadie x

[ferryman]

From a provincial Southampton newspaper:

POLICE chiefs in Hampshire have this afternoon obtained a European arrest warrant for the parents of desperately ill Ashya King.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead said the warrant was obtained on the grounds of neglect but using it would be a last resort.

He said officers "would much prefer for them to come forward voluntarily" as he described how the force was working closely with Spanish police to find the little boy who has now been away from medical teams for more than 48 hours.

He said: "'I can confirm we have obtained a European arrest warrant. What that will do is, when we find Ashya and his family, it will allow us to talk to his parents about what happened.

''Clearly we need to find out what their motive is in taking Ashya.''

Mr Shead said the European arrest warrant was based around ''neglect'' but added: ''That does not necessarily mean they would be charged with that offence.

''It purely gives us the power to arrest and then we'll be able to speak to them.''






Meanwhile Hampshire police's major investigation team believes Ashya's family may have taken steps to be able to feed him.

Assistant chief constable Shead said: "Health experts tell us with the proper medical care Ashya has a good chance of survival, but he must get that professional care.

"The feeding system that Ashya needs and the other associated medical care is complex, and I would appeal to Ashya's family not to think that they are able to administer this care themselves.

"The doctors assure me that proper medical training is required for the level of care that Ashya needs.

"I would also appeal to the medical profession, particularly in Spain, to contact the Spanish authorities if they feel that Ashya's family have presented or made enquiries at medical facilities.


"We continue to appeal directly to people living in and around Marbella, where we still have reason to believe the family may be heading.

"If you see the vehicle, or if you think you may have seen Brett, Naghmeh, Ashya and the six other children, please call us now on +441962 841534 or dial the European emergency number on 112 as soon as possible."

It comes after police in Spain were seeking the permission the permission of a judge to widen the desperate search to find little Ashya King.

Officers in the Marbella area were due to attend court so they could be sanctioned to mobilise more resources to find the five-year-old boy who is seriously ill following surgery to remove a large brain tumour.

It is understood police cars have been seen outside a property in Marbella.

The youngster is feared to have been without any form of medical help for 48 hours, since his father Brett King, 51, wheeled him out of Southampton General Hospital at 2pm on Thursday.

Within two hours they, along with Ashya’s mum Naghmeh and his six siblings, had boarded a Brittany Ferries sailing to Cherbourg in France.

Leading the cross Europe search to find Ashya before it is too late, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead told the Daily Echo this afternoon that there had been “strong leads” suggesting the family could be in Marbella.

It is also believed they have a holiday home there.

However, he warned that it was vital the search remained as wide and high profile as possible – fearing that the family may have left the area because they want to avoid being found.

He said: “Sightings point to them heading in that direction but we cannot afford to take the risk that they know they have been seen and have therefore turned around and gone somewhere else.

“We cannot ignore other possibilities.

“The police out there are going to a presiding judge in Spain which will allow them to mobilise more resources and extend and coordinate further activity out there, across a bigger area.”

Ast Chf Cons Shead said hospitals right across Europe were today also being contacted and put on alert. Police are also trying to ascertain if Ashya has already been taken to one of them for treatment as his health deteriorates.

He added: “It’s not beyond possibility that Ashya’s parents have heard or read our appeal and have taken him to a hospital somewhere.

“He could even have been admitted under a different name.

“While there is nothing to suggest any of this has happened at the moment, we cannot rule out the fact it might have.

ASt Chf Cons Shead also appealed to British expats living in Marbella as well as holidaymakers in the area to be vigilant and help lead police to Ashya so he can receive the urgent medical help he needs.



So Ashya has an excellent chance of survival (an assessment based on treatments available in the UK).

And the police have not vowed definitely that they will press charges against the parents, but (understandably) they do want to talk to the parents to gain a clearer picture of what, actually, has happened.

As a wider precedent, you simply cannot allow a situation where parents are allowed to gainsay the judgment of medical professionals at will.

That isn't to say that medical professionals are always right (of course, sometimes, they are not) but they are likely to be right more often than others who are not specialists in the field of medicine ...

[Mr Gray]

You are making a judgement without knowing all the facts..seems to be a problem with some on here. One point is that there appears to be very little evidence to show that proton beam therapy is effective in these cases whereas standard radiotherapy has plenty of evidence to support it...not enough information to make a valid judgement.

[Anna]

Poor little fellow and his poor parents  I can relate to this, as someone very close to me has a brain tumour and should have had surgery, but after a lot of research, I found that there was a chance of a cure .....without the surgery which I was told could kill him, blind him, paralyse him, or leave him in another world. The doctors insisted there was no alternative.
The night before surgery we took him home and after many visits to specialist we found..Dr Brada in Royal Marsden, who thought they could help.It was beams directed at the tumour daily for 6 weeks. they had to make a special headpiece.....Very clever. He has regular scans and although it is still there it is not growing. This treatment was not available on NHS, so Private. I know how desperate these parents must be, since there are restrictions with him being a child. My heart goes out to the family and I wish them every success in getting the treatment they believe the child needs, which I pray will work for him

[Angelo222]

It just goes to show how little power Nick Clegg has as deputy pm when even he cannot give clear direction to the CPS in Hampshire.  I have always been of the opinion that these CPS jobsworths have far too much power.  Be in no doubt, this fiasco could be brought to an end instantly had the CPS the will to want to do so.

[John]

It just goes to show how little power Nick Clegg has as deputy pm when even he cannot give clear direction to the CPS in Hampshire.  I have always been of the opinion that these CPS jobsworths have far too much power.  Be in no doubt, this fiasco could be brought to an end instantly had the CPS the will to want to do so.

The blame game has now started with police blaming the hospital.  Seems the Kings are launching a civil action against the hospital too.

[Anna]

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has called for the parents of brain tumour patient Ashya King to be released from custody and reunited with their son.Brett and Naghemeh King are being held by police in Madrid after removing Ashya from hospital in Southampton and travelling to Spain.
There have been growing calls for their release after they spent another night away from the five-year-old.
Mr Clegg said his "heart goes out" to the parents .
"A little boy is on his own in a hospital, I would like to see him with his family as soon as possible," he said.
"As far as I can make out, this is a family in a state of real anguish who have taken this exceptional step of moving their sick child to another country because they think that's what is best for their child."
He believes it is "not appropriate" to "throw the full force of the law" at the parents.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the case against the couple was under "immediate review" after further evidence was provided.
A spokesman said: "Once this evidence has been thoroughly examined, a decision will then be made as to whether a prosecution is required."
Donna Jones, the leader of Portsmouth City Council, the authority which began legal action after Ashya was removed from hospital without his doctors' consent, has urged the CPS to "remove any extradition proceedings, so the family can be reunited".
Meanwhile, the couple's lawyer in Spain, Juan Isidro Fernandez Diaz, said they are preparing to take legal action against Southampton General Hospital.
Ashya King's father Brett spoke in a YouTube video explaining why they had travelled to Spain
He said they "wanted the very best for their child."
"They never thought that they committed any crime in the UK," he added.
More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition demanding Ashya be reunited with his parents.
Some celebrities have turned to twitter to offer their support to the King family.
Former footballer and presenter Gary Lineker, tweeted: "I know what it's like to have a child fighting for their life. You do anything you think is for the best.
"Someone needs to explain why Aysha King's parents are being detained? Seems they just want the best treatment for their child."
While TV presenter Piers Morgan, tweeted: "Get that poor boy back with his parents now."
Ashya's eldest brother Danny King said he had been allowed to visit the five-year-old
Hampshire Constabulary obtained a European arrest warrant on 29 August on the grounds the Kings neglected their son.
A High Court judge in Madrid ruled on Monday they will remain in custody for a maximum of 72 hours while he considers granting bail.
One of his brothers was allowed to visit Ashya on Monday night, the family lawyer said.
Mr King, 51, and Mrs King, 45, were arrested on Saturday night in Velez-Malaga.
The family took Ashya from Southampton General Hospital last Thursday and travelled to France with him and his six siblings before heading to the Costa del Sol in southern Spain.
They want him to receive a treatment which they say was not made available to him on the NHS.
Proton beam therapy is only available on the NHS for eye conditions.
Dr Michael Marsh, medical director at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It's really important that the family and the medical and nursing teams have good communication and relationships.
"In Ashya's case we really regret that the communication and relationship broke down to the extent that the family lost trust in the team that were caring for him."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29026266

[John]

Wessex CPS have now relented and are cancelling the extradition request, they have also stated that the Kings will not be facing any charges.

Meanwhile, the Spanish judge is furious at the UK authorities for misleading them over the arrest.  The Kings are to be released shortly and should be back with Ashya late tonight or early tomorrow.

[Anna]

Wessex CPS have now relented and are cancelling the extradition request, they have also stated that the Kings will not be facing any charges.

Meanwhile, the Spanish judge is furious at the UK authorities for misleading them over the arrest.  The Kings are to be released shortly and should be back with Ashya late tonight or early tomorrow.

Fantastic news 

[Eleanor]

What a disgusting fiasco this has been.  But these people always go too far in the end.

The NHS should now just pay for that child's treatment abroad.