Doctor arrested for abusing eight children and using medical excuses to keep them out of school

A 45-year-old doctor at the Gregorio Marañon Hospital in Madrid, Spain, was arrested for abusing his eight children, beating them with a belt and locking them in the basement. The father did not let the children go to classes for several days so that they would not find signs of aggression. The man passed the medical justification for putting the children in school.

Eight children aged 4 to 14 slept in bunk beds in the same room. According to the Spanish newspaper El Correo, they lived in “terrible” hygienic conditions and were malnourished.

The 45-year-old mother, despite not beating her children, was also arrested as an accomplice. The authorities believe that the woman was a victim of gender-based violence, so her husband was given a restraining order, although she did not report him.

According to the Spanish newspaper El Correo, Neighbors say that inside the house “the noise of blows and screams” was heard and that the shutters were always closed.

Although at first the children were afraid to talk about what was happening at home, gradually they began to talk about the punishments imposed by their father. “They explained that when the father got angry, he put them all in a kind of basement and they stayed there for hours, with the older girls acting as mothers to the younger ones,” authorities said.

The agents who entered the house found dirt and debris everywhere, except for the father’s office, which was the only clean room.

The investigation began in the last week of March following a complaint by the eldest daughter, 14, who reported abuse by her father. In the course of the investigation, the authorities found that in addition to this young woman, seven other minors were also at risk.

Parents are prohibited from approaching children. The children are currently in an orphanage in the Community of Madrid.