Parents arrested after leaving 17 year old son behind on holiday

The 17 year old may well be from a previous relationship. Has never come to terms with the new parent in their life. Nose pushed firmly out of joint by the arrival of 3 younger siblings that get all the love the 17 year old feels they missed out on. Family go on holiday in an ill-judged attempt to look normal. One perceived slight against the 17 year old and all hell breaks loose. 17 year old becomes unreasonable, parents become unreasonable, younger siblings become unreasonable. Family holiday ends in media spectacle and slightly shamed faced everyone finally returns home. Card from management firm of Jeremy Kyle slipped through letter box :)
 
A couple were arrested for child abandonment after leaving the teenager at their holiday hotel
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Didn't this happen with the McCanns? Albeit actual abandonment which lead to actual terrible things. This kid WANTED to stay in his hotel room for goodness sake, and if his parents couldn't even abduct him from their own hotel room I doubt anyone else would even attempt to abduct him! The McCanns left while their kids were still sleeping IIRC!
 
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Ok, not trying to say the parents did the right thing, but let's think about this whole "child, their responsibility" thing.

At 17, you are one year past the age of discretion, which means your parents cannot legally restrain you at home and no court can force you to return home if you run away. Your parents are allowed by law to leave you on your own. At 17 you no longer have to go to school, if you don't want to. You can apply for standard, ten year passport on your own and travel abroad on your own. You can have driving license, own and drive vehicle, on your own. You can be employed full time and there is minimum wage established especially for you. You can own a pet. You can legally be a parent. You can be in your second tour of duty for your country, with weapon and live ammunition in your hand.

You cannot vote. You cannot have mobile phone contract. You cannot buy fireworks. You cannot use credit card on the internet. You cannot enter long distance selling points of tobacco.

So, have they really left a child behind?
 
chanjy said:
couple were arrested and the other kids taken away from them!
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daily mail headline writer by any chance :p

the kids were removed overnight while the parents were interviewed, probably, cause you know....maybe having kids knocking about a police station while their parents are interrogated isn't the best place for them.

as for the kid/teen/man child left behind, well yea the parents took him there to a foreign country - and while we may all be speculating as to the exact reasons for leaving him - the fact they were responsible for him being there, responsible for him as their child then yes quite right they are charged with neglect.

if they felt they could not physically get him to come with them, why not at least inform the hotel of their intentions, or ask them for advice?
 
chanjy said:
In my mind a 17 year old is pretty much independent already, albeit living at home!
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but many/most will still be in education, receiving financial support from parents - being fed/washed/housed by their parents - so while the teenager themselves and others might like to think they are independent, lets be honest, they're not really
 
Wasn't there a movie about this, like back in the 90's, but like the other way round... Leaving the kid at home then going on holiday.

:)
 
chanjy said:
:D

Nah it just amazes me how modern society puts so much responsibility for a 17 year old on the parents' shoulders.

In my mind a 17 year old is pretty much independent already, albeit living at home!
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They might be independent, but anyone, irrespective of age, who was abandoned abroad (and alone abroad for the first time in their lives) with no proper banking arrangements (i.e. debit card working in European ATMs) would be screwed.
 
This happened in Spain and a Spanish court; how similar are the laws over there?

Without more details it's hard to know what to think. Did the child have any means by which to manage their own journey home? At 17, they should be safe and able to do so given a supply of cash.
 
Jim99 said:
They might be independent, but anyone, irrespective of age, who was abandoned abroad (and alone abroad for the first time in their lives) with no proper banking arrangements (i.e. debit card working in European ATMs) would be screwed.
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Well you don't know that they didn't have a working debit card on them. The story is light on details.

What I do know is that aged 17 you can be off to university and living on your own; you can be married and have your own household; you can be in the army; also many teenagers go on holiday without their parents anyway.

Leaving a truant 17 year old who refuses to come with you behind is not some sort of child cruelty that deserves being put in jail for!
 
Mr Jack said:
This happened in Spain and a Spanish court; how similar are the laws over there?

Without more details it's hard to know what to think. Did the child have any means by which to manage their own journey home? At 17, they should be safe and able to do so given a supply of cash.
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I suppose in the eyes of the law it doesnt matter. A 17 is classified legally as a child (despite having some major exceptions) and therefore the case will be treated the same as if the parents left a 5 year old behind in Spain.

You then can't draw the line yoruself based on age. is 14 old enough or 15 or 16 etc. The law has decided that until 18 the "child" is your responsibility.

Although I do think the English law needs changing now and making it 16 like Scotland. With all the things you can legally do at 17 like join the army, drive, have sex, get married, are legally responsible etc it seems daft that until they leave home, they are treated the same as a 5 year old in the eyes of the law.
 
chanjy said:
Well you don't know that they didn't have a working debit card on them. The story is light on details.

What I do know is that aged 17 you can be off to university and living on your own; you can be married and have your own household; you can be in the army; also many teenagers go on holiday without their parents anyway.

Leaving a truant 17 year old who refuses to come with you behind is not some sort of child cruelty that deserves being put in jail for!
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I agree that I don't know that, but if you imagine the typical 17 year old on holiday with their parents, they won't.

A 17 year old that decides to go on holiday with their friends is a very different case to one who is presumably relying on their parents to sort everything out and then gets abandoned there.

I wouldn't want to be left in a foreign country if I'd never planned to manage it myself and provide for myself.

And they weren't put in jail.
 
It doesn't make sense to me. A 17 year old can travel there independently so legally I don't see how this is different.
 
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