Janice Atkinson MEP demands assurances Ashya King's parents can safely return to UK

UKIP MEP for the south east of England, Janet Atkinson, has reacted to the news that Ashya King's parents are scared to return to the UK by demanding assurances from the Home Secretary that they won't be treated like criminals and that their son won't be abducted by social services.

Ashya King suffers from a brain tumour and his parents wanted him to receive proton therapy treatment which is not available on the NHS. They took him out of hospital to their holiday home in Spain so they could sell their Spanish property to pay for the proton therapy treatment themselves. The hospital told the police they had kidnapped their son and his father was arrested and later released without charge. His parents are now scared to come back to the UK for fear of being arrested again and having their son taken off them.

UKIP MEP calls for Ashya King's parents to be released immediately

UKIP MEP, Janice Atkinson, has called for the parents of 5 year old brain cancer patient Ashya King to be released by Spanish police immediately.

Spanish police have arrested Brett and Naghemeh King after doctors reported them to the police for taking their son out of hospital without their permission. South Hampshire Police issued an EU Arrest Warrant and Spanish police arrested the couple. Ashya is now in a Spanish hospital with no friends or family to support him and his parents locked up in a Spanish prison awaiting a court hearing on their extradition.

Ashya's parents took him from hospital in Southampton because they weren't happy with the treatment he was getting or the doctors' willingness to listen to their opinions about his treatment. They bought specialist equipment and food to safely take him to Spain so they could sell their holiday home to pay for Proton Beam Treatment which is not available on the NHS. Their son has posted details and video footage on YouTube to counter what he says is misinformation by the hospital and the police.

I am appalled that Ashya's parents have been arrested. This little boy needs his mother at this time," she said.

He is five years old, probably doesn't speak Spanish, and will be lying in a hospital bed in distress.

I call on the Home Secretary to contact the Spanish authorities so that Ashya's parents are released immediately. Then she should ask the assistant chief constable of Hampshire, Chris Shead, why he 'made no apology for the police being proactive' to find Ashya.

Then I would ask her whether she now thinks that pernicious European arrest warrant works in the hands of over-zealous policemen in the interests of British citizens?