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French boy found living as recluse with mother

A 14-year-old boy was taken into state care in northwest France after he was found living as a recluse with his mother, who faces prosecution, officials and reports said Friday.

French boy found living as recluse with mother
Illustration photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP

The teenager was born in the Philippines to a French mother, but brought up in Paris before moving to the city of Rennes without ever being registered with authorities or sent to school.

His mother, 48, was charged on Monday with neglecting her legal obligations and causing harm to a child, as well as causing harm by depriving a child of healthcare or food, which carries a maximum seven-year jail term, the local prosecutor’s office said.

The mother’s lawyer, Emmanuel Ludot, told AFP it was wrong to see it as a case of “mistreatment”, adding that his client was from a wealthy background.

“It’s what is unusual in this case: he is over-loved. The mother is suffocating and allows him to do what he wants. He eats what he wants, and studies what he wants,” he added.   

Authorities began investigating when the teenager was admitted to hospital in Rennes last July weighing only 25 kilograms, around half the norm for his age, and showing severe learning difficulties, the Ouest France newspaper reported.

Ludot said he weighed 33 kilograms when he was taken into state care.

“We were happy. Now we’re both unhappy,” the woman told the BFM news channel in an interview.

“I’ve been doing the best for my son from the beginning. Both by opening the world to him according to his age and protecting him.”

His mother denied he had “ever gone to bed hungry” and said she allowed him to leave the home for cultural activities such as going to the library.

Homeschooling is only allowed in specific circumstances in France.

Parents can ask for permission to homeschool – for example for health reasons or a disability – but must agree to regular inspections from local education authorities.

READ ALSO Is the French government really planning to ban homeschooling?

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CRIME

Teens charged in France over plot to attack Jewish targets: judicial source

French prosecutors have charged a 19-year-old man and a youth in the Paris region with planning a "terrorist" attack on Jewish targets, a judicial source told AFP on Friday.

Teens charged in France over plot to attack Jewish targets: judicial source

While no details on the pair have been released, French anti-terrorist investigators have expressed increased concern over the young age of some suspects detained in recent months for planning militant attacks.

The 19-year-old has been charged with “terrorist conspiracy” to commit attacks and the “acquisition and possession of arms for a terrorist enterprise,” said the judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

READ ALSO: Anti-Semitism fears stalk Jewish voters’ choice in France

The youth aged under 18 was detained on June 13, the source said.

The pair made contact on social media and were planning a “a violent action notably aiming at Jewish targets,” said the source without giving details on the plot.

Anti-terrorism investigators say a growing number of youths have been held in recent months for preparing attacks.

READ ALSO: French election breakdown: TV debates, polling latest and anti-Semitism

“This is a necessarily worrying phenomenon,” senior anti-terrorist prosecutor Olivier Christen said at an evidentiary hearing on Wednesday.

French politicians have also condemned a growing number of attacks on the country’s Jewish community, the biggest outside Israel and the United States.

Outrage has been expressed over the rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a park in the Paris suburbs last Saturday. Two 13-year-old boys have been charged with rape and making anti-Semitic insults.

Several protest rallies have been held in Paris and other French cities over the case which comes as France prepares for a national election in which the far-right National Rally party is tipped to make major gains. 

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