British boy leaves hospital for specialist treatment

Five-year-old brain tumour patient Ashya King has left hospital in Spain and is believed to be on his way to the Czech Republic for specialist proton treatment.

Footage at the Materno Infantil hospital in Malaga showed the boy’s father Brett standing next to an ambulance this morning.

Sky News reported that Ashya’s mother Naghmeh was understood to be travelling with her son in the ambulance while the boy’s father followed in a taxi. A private plane is thought to be waiting at Malaga airport.

He is expected to be flown to Prague for the proton therapy his parents want him to receive.

The director of the Materno Infantil hospital in Malaga, Manuel Paz, told the BBC last night that Ashya was "ready to leave their care" and said the boy could leave in the early hours of this morning.

Ashya hit the headlines after his parents took him from Southampton General Hospital on August 28th without the permission of doctors.

They were arrested and held in custody in Spain after British police raised the alarm. They were released when prosecutors withdrew an arrest warrant in the wake of a public outcry.

Portsmouth City Council, which has responsibilities for Ashya's welfare, launched family court litigation — asking for directions about the youngster's treatment.

Mr Justice Baker began analysing issues surrounding Ashya's treatment at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court on Tuesday. The judge was told Mr and Mrs King wanted their son to receive proton beam radiotherapy.

The judge said in his order, released on Friday, that Ashya could be taken to the Czech Republic. He said he had been told specialists there had considered a treatment plan.

The hospital has said Ashya is in a stable condition, and that a flight to Prague would not pose a problem to his health.

Family lawyer Juan Isidro Fernandez Diaz told reporters the boy was "in perfect condition to travel", and was playing with toys and his parents and brother on Saturday.

PA