healthmedicinet

He said he wanted Ashya to have Proton Beam therapy which is not available for
the treatment of brain cancer in the UK and therefore had no choice but to
take him out of the hospital. Mr King claimed that when he told doctors he
did not want Ashya to have the treatment they recommended, they were
threatened with an emergency protection order, which would have prevented
them from seeing their son.

“Proton beam is so much better for children with brain cancer,” he said in the
clip. “It zones in on the area, whereby normal radiation passes right
through his head and comes out the other side and destroys everything in his
head.

“So we pleaded with them for proton beam treatment. They looked at me straight
in the face and said with his cancer – which is called medulloblastoma – it
would have no benefit whatsoever.”

Mr King said his son’s treatment seemed like “trial and error” and
claimed he was told if he questioned the treatment the hospital would seek
an emergency protection order.

He said: “After that I realised I can’t speak to the oncologist at all,
because if I actually ask anything or give any doubt I wasn’t in full accord
with them, they were going to get a protection order which meant in his
deepest, darkest hour I wouldn’t be there to look after him, and neither
would my wife – they would prevent us from entering the ward.

“That’s such a cruel system I decided to start looking at the proton beam
myself.”

He added: “We decided to try and sort it out ourselves but now we’re
refugees almost.

“We can’t do anything. The police are after us. The things we want to do
to raise the money to pay for the proton beam, they’ve prevented it now.

“So my son is being treated and he’s doing fine. We’re very happy with
his progress. We’re not neglecting him. He has everything he had in hospital.”

On Saturday, police obtained a European arrest warrant. Officers said the
warrant was obtained on the grounds of neglect but it would be used only as
a last resort.

They said they “would much prefer for the parents to come forward
voluntarily”.

Police had raised concerns about Ashya’s battery-operated feeding tube, which
they said would have run out on Friday night. They said it could be replaced
only by medical experts, leading police to warn that “time is running out”
for the youngster.

But Mr King said the family had enough feeding packs and Calpol to care for
their son.

“We were most disturbed today to find his face is all over the internet and
newspapers and we have been labelled as kidnappers, putting his life at
risk, neglect,” he said.

“As you can see there’s nothing wrong with him, he is very happy actually
since we took him out of hospital,” Mr King said.

“He has been smiling a lot more, he has very much been interacting with
us.”

Mr King said his son was treated by Dr Gary Nicolin, a consultant paediatric
oncologist with over 25 years’ experience.

Dr Nicolin, who has worked at the hospital for the last decade, has previously
worked in Canada and South Africa.

Mr King said he told doctors he would pay for the treatment himself.

Mr King said Ashya was “responding so much better” than he did in
hospital.

“We couldn’t take it any more – not knowing and not being able to
question anything in fear that they say, ‘Sorry Mr and Mrs King, emergency
protection order, you’re no longer allowed in the ward’,” he said.

“Under that stress, our son has grade four brain tumour, we couldn’t
discuss or question them at all in fear that our son would be in that ward
all day long by himself without his parents being able to come in.

“We couldn’t be under that system any more.

“I was going to get the money to pay for the proton beam therapy but they
have prevented that now because the Spanish police are involved and I can’t
do want I wanted to do.”

Mr King urged police to call off “this ridiculous chase”.

“We’re not neglecting our son, he’s in perfectly good health,” he
said.

My son is smiling, he’s happy, we’re doing things as a family. We just want to
be left in peace. He’s very sick. I just want to get on with his treatment.
I’m not coming back to England if I cannot give him the treatment I want,
which is proper treatment.

“I just want positive results for my son.”

According to Cancer Research UK, Proton Beam therapy is a highly-targeted type
of radiotherapy that can treat hard-to-reach cancers, such as spinal tumours
(chordomas), with a lower risk of damaging the surrounding tissue and
causing side effects

Hampshire police posted a message on its Facebook page at 9.45pm last night.
It said: “Ashya has been found. He is in Spain with his mum and dad.

Police are speaking to his mum and dad and we are waiting to hear on Ashya’s
condition. This is all we know at this time – but, he has been found. Thank
you to everyone who has been incredible in helping us spread this appeal. We
will provide further detail just as soon as we can, but, again, thank you.”

The Kings’ eldest son was caring for his siblings while his parents were held
at a police station in nearby Velez-Malaga.

They were expected to be taken to Madrid on Sunday for an extradition hearing
at Madrid’s Central Criminal Court.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead of Hampshire Constabulary said the boy’s
parents Brett King, 51, and Naghemeh King, 45, had been arrested at 10pm
local time after Spanish police stopped the family’s vehicle.

“We don’t have many details on Ashya’s condition at this point in time
but what we do know is that he was showing no visible signs of distress,”
Mr Shead said.

“Ashya has now been taken to a hospital in Malaga. The parents have been
arrested. They have been taken to a police station.”

No one from Southampton General Hospital was available for comment.