The father of the two neglected Dutch children found in Northern Italy was afraid of the coronavirus. He was also allegedly obsessed with conspiracy theories surrounding laboratory viruses, Italian media write. The father denies through his lawyer that there was neglect.
The Italian newspapers La Stampa, La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera each report that the father was afraid of the coronavirus. That is why he allegedly moved to the remote village of Lauriano in the Turin region. According to La Stampa, he did not want the children to have to wear face masks. The brothers would also not have been vaccinated.
Corriere della Sera adds that the father was obsessed with conspiracy theories surrounding laboratory viruses. He was allegedly afraid of a deliberate spread of viruses, writes La Repubblica. That is why the children had to be shielded from the outside world as much as possible.
The juvenile court in Turin has now ruled that the parents, a 54-year-old Dutch man and a 38-year-old Dutch woman, are unable to care for them. The mother allegedly showed no interest in the children, while the father is accused of keeping the two in isolation, writes Corriere della Sera. The children have been placed under the care of Italian youth services.
Children could not read and write
The brothers, born in Germany, were found by the military police in Lauriano. Agents came there a few weeks ago because of an evacuation order after flooding and discovered the seriously neglected family situation. The children, who are said to be around six and nine years old, were still wearing diapers, spoke poorly, could not read or write and had no official documents.
According to Italian media, the children were not registered with the civil registry and birth and identity documents were missing. They had also never been to a doctor or school.
The father contradicts the latter. According to him, his children followed “online education”. He also stated to the newspaper La Stampa through his lawyer that the children were doing well.
“They received everything they needed from my wife and I. They had toys, each their own laptop and even their own skis,” the father was quoted as saying. The brothers would also often go horseback riding and visit restaurants and museums, the man claimed.
It is still unclear where in the Netherlands the family comes from and whether the children have lived in the Netherlands or Germany before. The authorities are conducting further investigation.