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Ashya King's parents 'afraid' to return to Britain

The parents of five-year-old brain cancer survivor Ashya King have said they want to return to the UK, but are afraid their son will be taken from them if they do.

The five-year-old's family have told of his "miracle" recovery, as the centre where he was treated declared him cancer-free, The Sun reported.

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Ashya King's parents 'afraid' to return to Britain

The parents of five-year-old brain cancer survivor Ashya King have said they want to return to the UK, but are afraid their son will be taken from them if they do.

Ashya after being reunited with his parents Brett and Naghmeh in September 2014 Credit: Family handout

Brett and Naghmeh King, who sparked an international manhunt after taking their son out of hospital without doctors' consent, told The Sun that they have tried - and failed - to get official assurances that UK authorities will not take action against them.

The family are in their holiday home in Spain with Ashya, who has been given the all-clear after receiving proton beam therapy in Prague which was initially not available to him on the NHS.

We feel exiled. We want to return to the UK but as things stand we are here for the long term.

We want someone to tell us nothing will be held against us. But they won't.

So why would we move back thinking that at any moment someone could knock on our door with the police and take our children? The thought of them taking Ashya away from us rips our hearts in two.

– Brett King

Mr King, 51, also told the paper he had been questioned by police when he had returned to England in November, while the paper reported Portsmouth City Council's head of children and social care Stephen Kitchman had emailed the family to say he could not give a "definitive answer" on what would happen should they return.

But according to the paper, Michael Lawther, the council's solicitor, said no legal action was in progress and "therefore it is not a council matter whether the King family returns".

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