Spanish police have arrested a British couple for allegedly leaving their three children aged four and under alone in a hotel in the Málaga town of Benalmádena. The youngest – just six months old – has tested positive for cocaine.
Three children – aged four, two years and six months – were found early on Thursday morning in a hotel room in Benalmádena after allegedly being abandoned by their parents, who were out partying at the time.
According to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, the baby tested positive for cocaine after receiving medical attention.
The eldest child was left in charge of caring for his two siblings even though he is just four years old himself.
The children have been taken to the Maternal and Child Hospital in Málaga and are now under the protection of Spain’s Child Protection Service of the Andalusian Regional Government.
The married couple, a British 41-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, have been arrested for alleged child abandonment.
Child abandonment in Spain is a crime with prison sentences ranging from 1 to 4 years, depending on the severity, the relationship with the minor, and the risks caused.
The investigation remains open and is being conducted by the Family and Women’s Assistance Unit (UFAM) of the Torremolinos-Benalmádena police station.
According to the same sources, the condition in which the children were found was “worrying”.
The hotel room they were found in was in considerable disarray and lacked adequate conditions.
Police were alerted after staff found two of the children neglected in the hotel’s common areas.
The Andalusian government has also confirmed to Spanish news agency Europa Press that the children have been placed under the protection of the Andalusian Regional Government and have already been assigned a foster family.
