The divorced dad of two young boys who were allegedly abandoned in the woods by his ex-wife has said he believes it is a ‘matter of days’ before he sees his children again
A divorced father of two young boys found wandering the countryside after allegedly being abandoned by their mother has said the children will need to ‘rebuild their lives’.
Mum Marine Rousseau, 41, and her boyfriend Marc Ballabriga, 55, were arrested by police last Thursday, two days after allegedly blindfolding the two boys, aged three and five, leaving them in the woods, and driving off.
The children appeared ‘distraught’ and ‘crying’ when they were found walking by the side of a road near Alcacer do Sal, Portugal by a local baker on his way to work. Both boys have been placed in temporary care until arrangements are made for their care back in France.
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The father, who wished to remain anonymous, has now spoken publicly about the incident for the first time – and said keeping he is keeping phone his phone close to hand every moment of the day, waiting for a phonecall from Portuguese authorities telling him to pick his children up.
He told French TV channel Ici Alsace TV: “It’s only a matter of days before I get my children back. I think about them every second since the Colmar police station contacted me to tell me they were missing.”
Going on to describe the long-term implications for his children, he said: “My children will have to rebuild their lives, just as I rebuilt mine, and they don’t need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy. I’m not trying to defend or minimise what happened – it’s deeply shocking.”
The dad divorced from Rousseau two years ago, and is understood to the right to limited visits under supervision.
Appearing in a Portuguese court on Friday, Rousseau remained silent throughout the proceedings, which lasted until midnight. She and Ballabriga face charges of child abandonment, endangerment, and aggravated assault.
