British couple detained on Costa del Sol for alleged child abandonment, as baby ‘tests positive for cocaine’

The Spanish National Police detained the parents, a 41-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, in the early hours of Thursday after officers were called to a hotel in Benalmadena, near Malaga (Andalusia).

According to police sources, the couple’s three children – aged four, two and six months – were discovered without adult supervision. Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, which has prompted a child abandonment inquiry.

The alarm was raised after hotel staff reportedly found two of the children unattended in the resort’s communal areas and alerted the authorities. Police officers who attended the scene confirmed the youngsters were alone before arresting the parents.

Sources close to the investigation described the situation in which the children were found as ‘worrying’. The hotel room was said to be in considerable disarray and lacked adequate conditions for the children. It is also alleged that the eldest child, just four years old, had effectively been left to care for his younger siblings.

The children were taken to Malaga’s Maternal and Child Hospital (Hospital Materno Infantil) for medical examinations and treatment. Several Spanish media outlets have reported that the six-month-old baby tested positive for cocaine following medical checks, although the police have declined to comment on those reports.

A police spokesman confirmed: ‘A British man aged 41 and a woman aged 28 have been held on suspicion of a crime of child abandonment. A specialist branch of the National Police is involved.’

The children have since been placed under the protection of the Andalusian regional government’s child welfare services. Regional authorities confirmed they have already been assigned urgent temporary foster families while the investigation continues.

The inquiry is being led by the Family and Women’s Assistance Unit (UFAM) attached to the Torremolinos-Benalmadena National Police station.

Under Spanish law, child abandonment can carry prison sentences ranging from one to four years depending on the circumstances, the relationship between the accused and the minors, and the level of risk posed to the children.

The couple were expected to remain in police custody pending their appearance before a judge, although officials had not confirmed the timing of any court hearing.