A stepfather has been arrested after allegedly locking a nine-year-old boy in a small cupboard for 15 days. The child was found locked in a storage cupboard that was just over a square meter in size in his family home which he shares with his mum, stepfather and three brother in Mérindol, a village in southern Luberon in France.

The little had reportedly been forced to use a basin as a toilet and without a mattress. Authorities were alerted by a concerned anonymous source and the boy was rescued by police on Friday, May 22. Neighbours reported he was often left out of outings with his family and he "was always being punished".

The police were let into small family home located in Mérindol, a village of just 2,000 people, by the boys stepfather who confirmed his presence.

"He could stand up despite the presence of the shelves. But above all, the child "had been placed there for 15 days", added Ms Aouine.

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