Ashya's Parents Face Extradition To The UK

The parents of Ashya King, who was taken out of hospital against medical advice, face being extradited to the UK after being arrested in Spain.

Police say officers in the Malaga area pulled over the family’s car at 9pm UK time on Saturday and found the five-year-old and his parents inside after a tip-off from a staff member at the hotel in which they were staying.

The boy from Portsmouth, who underwent “extensive surgery” during an operation on his brain tumour seven days ago at Southampton General Hospital, was taken to a hospital in the local area.

Sky sources in Spain said he was in a stable condition, adding there was no prospect of him being transferred to another hospital.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead, of Hampshire Constabulary, said his parents, Brett King, 51, and Naghemeh King, 45, were in custody after being arrested on a European arrest warrant.

In response to criticism about the force’s actions, he said: “Faced with the situation that we were, we had medical experts telling us Ashya was in grave danger… if he didn’t get the care that he needed there was a potential threat to his life.

“So I make no apologies for being as proactive in this investigation as we have been.

“There are no winners in this situation. I’ve said all along that this must be a terribly distressing time for Ashya’s family.”

He said it was too soon to say when Ashya would come back to the UK, but said Southampton General Hospital was liaising with doctors taking care of him in Spain.

Mr Shead said a team of Hampshire police officers would be arriving in Spain later to continue the investigation, as proceedings to extradite Mr and Mrs King to the UK get under way.

The arrests came as footage emerged on video-sharing website YouTube in which Ashya’s father, a Jehovah’s Witness, insisted they had taken him from hospital to seek a cancer treatment not available on the NHS.

“We were much disturbed today to find that his face is all over the internet and newspapers and we’ve been labelled as kidnappers, putting his life at risk, neglect,” he said.

“As you can see, there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s very happy actually, since we took him out of hospital.”

He said he had spoken to specialists after Ashya’s surgery and had requested proton beam treatment, which was not available on the NHS.

“We pleaded with them for proton beam treatment. They looked at me straight in the face and said with his cancer – which is called medulloblastoma – it would have no benefit whatsoever,” he said.

“I went straight back to my room and looked it up and the American sites and French sites and Switzerland sites where they have proton beam said the opposite, it would be very beneficial for him.”

A spokesman for University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust said it had offered the family access to a second opinion, as well as assistance with organising treatment abroad.

A spokesperson for NHS England said: “Where doctors recommend it, the NHS does fund Proton Beam Therapy including supporting 99 children last year to travel abroad for treatment.”

In a Facebook message, Naveed King said a fundraising campaign for his brother Ashya had been launched and asked those wishing to contribute to send their donations to a PayPal account at naveedgamer@gmail.com.

Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions on religious grounds but are open to other medical procedures.

Ashya's Parents Face Extradition To The UK