Young boy left chained and locked in a room while mother left for work

HUELVA POLICE, in south-western Spain, have charged a mother with neglect and child abuse. She allegedly left her seven-year-old son locked in a room while she went to work.

After hearing a child “crying inconsolably and shouting for help” neighbours called the police on the afternoon of March 3 to report the noise.

What the police discovered was shocking a child: “locked with chains and padlocks”, officers confirmed.

A local Fire Brigade source stated, the child was “dirty and hungry” and the room was in an “appalling condition of hygiene and sanitation”.

The youngster was taken to a medical centre nearby, where social workers cleaned him, gave him clean clothes and food. It has come to light that he was left on a regular basis from 6.30am until 4.30pm while his mother went to work.

The mother was arrested at the flat when she returned from work and has been charged with child abuse and neglect.

The young boy is currently being cared for by local child services whilst court proceedings have started against his mother.