Dad of boys left abandoned ‘blindfolded’ in woods by ex-wife hits out
The father of two brothers 'blindfolded' and allegedly abandoned by their mother and stepfather in Portugal has called for restraint on his children's behalf.
Last week, it was revealed that two boys, aged four and five, had been discovered wandering an isolated road alone in Portugal's Setúbal district.
The boys, who were later identified as French, were carrying backpacks filled with clothes, snacks and a bottle of water, suggesting they may have been abandoned by their parents.
It has since been revealed that the boys' mother, Marine Rousseau, 41, and her partner Marc Ballabriga, 55, had been arrested by Portuguese police and charged with child abandonment and child endangerment.
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Ballabriga also faces an additional charge of aggravated assault.
The boys' father has now broken his silence on the case, telling French media that he would not publicly condemn Rousseau's actions.
"I refuse to add hateful words, insults, or derogatory terms intended to dehumanise a person, even if they are found guilty," the man told French channel Ici Alsace TV from his home in Colmar, per MailOnline.
The man, who is understood to have limited custody and supervised visitation rights over the boys since separating from Rousseau, added that his ex-wife's actions were 'serious and deeply shocking' and that he would not 'defend or minimise' her actions.
He has also urged people to consider his sons' future, adding: "My children will need to rebuild their lives, just like me. They won't need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy."
"I realised straight away that they had been abandoned."
The brothers were found last Tuesday (19 May) while walking along an isolated road, which links Alcacer do Sal to the coastal resort of Comporta, by local couple Alexandre and Eugenia Quintas.
"They were crying, they were terrified. They were crying and calling for their father," Alexandre said of finding the boys.
It's alleged that Rousseau and Ballabriga had told the boys they were playing a game called 'drive away the devil' and told them to dig for a knife before removing their blindfolds.
Once the brothers had removed their blindfolds, it's claimed the couple had fled, leaving the children alone in the wilderness.
"I realised right away that they had been abandoned by the backpacks," Quintas said. "When I saw the way the backpacks were packed, I knew they had been abandoned."
The pair were later arrested at a cafe in Fatima, central Portugal and appeared in court on Friday (22 May), in which they made numerous outbursts to reportedly 'pretend they were crazy'.
"I hope she stays in prison for many years," Quintas said of Rousseau, adding that he would like to see the boys again and hoped they ended up with a relative who could 'give them love'.
Meanwhile, their father revealed he is waiting for the go-ahead to travel to Portugal in order to be reunited with his children.
"Day and night, I have my phone by my side," he told the French language outlet, adding that he'd been thinking about them daily since being alerted to their disappearance.
"It's only a matter of days until I get my children back."
Topics: World News, Crime
Brenna Cooper