Ashya King parents 'do not feel safe' to return to UK

The parents of five-year-old cancer patient Ashya King have said they do not feel safe to return to Britain.

Brett and Naghmeh King are set to travel to Spain after their son's proton therapy treatment came to an end.

Asked why he was reluctant to return to the UK, Mr King said there was "so much still at stake" and did not want to risk losing Ashya.

"At the moment we don't feel 100% safe, I suppose you would call it, contemplating being in England until perhaps they do this investigation into how everything was conducted for us," Mr King told Sky News.

"Once that has been established then we can think about going back to England. But for the time being we have been in contact with a doctor in Spain so we are continuing with (Ashya's) treatment in Spain instead of England."

The parents of five-year-old cancer patient Ashya King have released images of their son after he finished proton therapy treatment in Prague.

Brett and Naghmeh King sparked an international search when they removed Ashya from Southampton hospital in August without medical consent.

The family are now preparing to leave for Spain after the youngster's condition improved.

Brain cancer patient Ashya King has responded well but has not fully recovered as he nears the end of his proton therapy treatment, the clinic treating him said.

The five-year-old was taken to Prague, in the Czech Republic, by his parents to get him the specialist treatment.

The director of the Proton Therapy Center (PTC), Iva Tatounova, told Sky News: "We always thought Ashya would benefit from the specialist treatment here at the PTC.

"And whilst he is still not fully recovered, he's responded very well to the proton beam therapy and there is no reason that he will not continue to get stronger once he leaves here."

Ashya's parents Brett and Naghmeh King sparked an international police hunt when they removed their son from Southampton General Hospital on August 28 without medical consent.

They faced a protracted legal battle to get him to the PTC, with a High Court judge only approving the move after they had been released from police custody in Spain.