A British man has been arrested in Spain after allegedly holding his teenage son captive for two years in squalid conditions, police said.
The “extremely thin” 19-year-old was discovered in a dehydrated and emaciated condition when police officers raided the family’s home in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, a district of Madrid, the Guardia Civil said.
The father is accused of abusing his son physically and psychologically. He allegedly beat the teenager daily, gave him little food and controlled his drinking water, while forcing him to remain in one part of the house.
He reportedly became violent when officers tried to detain him, and appears to have had psychological problems, telling police that his neighbours were poisoning his water and he was being pursued by the Russian mafia.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with local authorities following the arrest of a British national in Spain on 1 July.”
The teenager was rescued after he was able to email a family abuse helpline and contact his sister, who helped investigators, the national police and Guardia Civil said.
A video released by the Guardia Civil showed the torrid conditions in which the boy had allegedly been living. The house had barred windows, allegedly to prevent him from escaping, and the room where he lived was littered with rubbish, broken furniture and piles of clothes.
