Missing Five-Year-Old Ashya King Found In Spain

A seriously ill boy who was taken out of hospital against medical advice on Thursday has been found in Spain.

Five-year-old Ashya King - who has a brain tumour and needs to be fed through a tube - was found with his family at a hostel in the town of Benajarafe, east of Malaga.

He has now been taken to a nearby hospital.

It came as footage emerged on video-sharing website YouTube in which his father, Brett King, insists his son is "very happy" and that his feeding machine is working.

"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 says.

"There's been a lot of talk about this machine. As you see, it's all plugged in. We've got loads of these feeds here, we've got iron supplements and we've got Calpol.

"As you can see, there's nothing wrong with him. He's very happy actually, since we took him out of hospital. He's been smiling a lot more, he's been very much interacting with us."

Earlier, Hampshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead confirmed there is a European arrest warrant out for his parents Brett, 51, and Naghemeh, 45.

He said the battery on Ashya's feeding mechanism "will have expired".

In a direct appeal to his parents, he urged them not to attempt to deliver the urgent care Ashya needs, as it requires specialist training and facilities.

Without it Ashya will start to dehydrate and his condition will deteriorate, Mr Shead said.

Mr Shead said the warrant was based around "neglect," but made clear that did not necessarily mean they would be charged with that offence.

It is thought the family has strong links to the Marbella area and may even have a holiday home there.

Ashya's family took him from Southampton General Hospital, where he was receiving treatment, at around 2pm on Thursday and travelled on a ferry to Cherbourg, France, two hours later.

The boy underwent "extensive surgery" during his last operation seven days ago.

Police were told by the hospital he was missing at 8.35pm that day, more than six hours after he was taken by his parents.

The family, Jehovah's Witnesses from Southsea, were travelling in a grey Hyundai I800 Style CRDI registration KP60 HWK.

Interpol sent out a missing persons alert to its 190 member countries as concerns for the boy's welfare grew.

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

A spokesman from the Office of Public Information for Jehovah's Witnesses said there was "absolutely no indication" the family's decision was "motivated by any religious convictions."