A doctor and his wife in Madrid were arrested by the Guardia Civil, accused of physically mistreating their eight children.

The family live in Colmenar Viejo within the Comunidad de Madrid and the father, practises in a hospital in the capital.

The father forced his eight offspring to live in just one room, denying them access to the sitting room.

The whole house was filthy except for the father’s study. Of the two bathrooms, only one was in use but it was full of household items, whilst the state of the kitchen was described as “deplorable.”

Furthermore, the children were often absent from school but as the father is a doctor, he was able to issue convincing sick notes to the school authorities.

The house was also full of hospital garments such as those used in an operating theatre by surgical staff, as well as bandages, surgical masks & gloves and medication. The doctor could not explain how they came to be there.

The mother, as well as facing charges for parental neglect, is also considered a victim of gender violence. Both parents have lost custody of their eight children.

The situation was brought to the attention of the authorities by a concerned neighbour. The Guardia Civil then decided to keep an eye on the dwelling until they considered that they had enough evidence to obtain a search warrant on the 29th of March.

(News: Colmenar Viejo, Madrid)