British parents get suspended jail sentence after abandoning three kids at Costa del Sol hotel

The British couple arrested yesterday for abandoning their children at their Costa del Sol hotel “to go out partying” have accepted suspended prison sentences after admitting their guilt in a plea bargain deal.

The kids, a baby aged six months, a toddler aged one and a four-year-old, were found alone at the Holiday World Resort in Benalmadena.

Police yesterday said the youngest child had tested positive for cocaine at a Malaga hospital before being taken into care.

Spanish police confirmed yesterday a British man aged 41 and a woman aged 28 had been arrested, but did not comment on the cocaine allegations.

Today it emerged the unnamed tourists had accepted prison sentences of nearly a year and a half each which were automatically suspended.

They have also been banned from seeing their kids for two years.

A spokesman for Andalucia’s High Court of Justice said: “Court No. 3 of the Investigating Division of the Court of First Instance of Torremolinos today sentenced two British parents arrested for abandoning their three children to one year and four months in prison for committing the offense of abandonment.

“The sentence was delivered as part of a plea bargain deal after the pair admitted their crime.

“In addition, the ruling also establishes that they are disqualified for two years and eight months from exercising parental authority, and for a period of two years they will be prohibited from going within 500 metres of the children.

“Thanks to the agreement of all parties, the court has suspended the parents’ imprisonment on the condition that they do not commit any offenses within a period of two years.

“The children are under the guardianship of the Social Services of the Regional Government of Andalucía, which, in compliance with this judgment, plans to contact the British consulate so that it can arrange for the three children to be transferred to their home country.

A spokesman for the National Police in Malaga confirmed yesterday the British couple had been arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning after their kids were discovered alone in their hotel room: “A British man aged 41 and a woman aged 28 have been held on suspicion of a crime of child abandonment.

“Their children, aged six months, a year and a bit and four, were found alone at the hotel and have been taken to hospital.

“A specialist branch of the National Police called UFAM, a family and women assistance unit, is involved and the Junta de Andalucia’s social services’ unit has taken temporary charge of the children.”

They are understood to have spent a night in police custody before being hauled to court.

It later emerged the family were staying at Holiday World Resort, a massive complex made up of three hotels and a collection of premium apartments totalling more than 850 rooms.

It began operating under the Affiliated by Melia brand recently.

As well as three superior four-star hotels, the complex also boasts a 3,600 square metre sports centre with tennis, paddle and basketball courts, a seven-a-side pitch and functional training areas.

Regional government sources said before today’s court judgement emergency foster families had now been found to look after the youngsters.