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The parents of a British boy taken out of hospital in Britain without medical consent appeared before a Spanish judge on Monday for an extradition hearing.
Brett and Naghemeh King sparked an international manhunt after removing five-year-old Ashya, who has a brain tumor, from hospital last week over their fears that he was not receiving the right care.
The couple were detained on a European arrest warrant near Malaga in southern Spain on Saturday, August 30, and their son, who only recently underwent surgery and requires special feeding equipment, has been hospitalized in southern Spain.
At a hearing at the High Court in Madrid, the Kings refused to agree to their extradition back to Britain and were ordered to be held in custody for up to 72 hours pending a decision on whether they should be granted bail.
The judge also ordered an urgent medical report into the condition of Ashya, who has a medulloblastoma tumor.
The boy is currently being treated at a nearby children’s hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.
In Britain, public concern for Ashya’s immediate health has shifted to sympathy for the family’s plight as well as anger, particularly on social media, at their pursuit by police.
Police had warned that Ashya’s life was in danger if he was not in hospital, but his father and one of his brothers insisted in videos posted to YouTube that he is being cared for properly.
The family’s local MEP said the parents should be released immediately to be with their child.
However, the local elected police and crime commissioner, Simon Hayes, defended efforts to bring Ashya home.
“I think if Hampshire Constabulary (police) had ignored the professional medical advice and opinion, then they would have been negligent in their responsibilities to safeguard Ashya in this case and young children in general,” he told BBC radio.
Prime Minister David Cameron, who lost his six-year-old disabled son Ivan in 2009, said the priority should be to ensure that Ashya receives the most appropriate medical care.
His spokesman added: “Of course, I am sure that every parent wants to do the best for their child. That is probably the most human of human instincts.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
