The father of two young boys found wandering the countryside in Portugal after allegedly being abandoned by their mother has spoken publicly for the first time, saying the children will need to 'rebuild their lives.'
Marine Rousseau, 41, and her boyfriend Marc Ballabriga, 55, were arrested last Thursday after allegedly blindfolding the boys, aged three and five, leaving them in woods, and driving off near Alcacer do Sal, Portugal. A local baker found the distraught children walking by a roadside.
The boys have been placed in temporary foster care in Portugal while arrangements are made for their return to France, where authorities have lodged a request for their repatriation.
The father, who wishes to remain anonymous, told French TV channel Ici Alsace that he keeps his phone close, waiting for a call to pick up his children. 'It's only a matter of days before I get my children back,' he said.
He emphasised the need for his sons to rebuild their lives without constant reminders of the tragedy. The father divorced Rousseau two years ago and had limited supervised visits. The children had been living with the couple in Colmar, eastern France, before being taken to Portugal earlier this month.
Rousseau and Ballabriga appeared in court in Setubal on Saturday, facing charges of child abandonment and endangerment. Ballabriga also faces an additional charge of aggravated assault. Both were ordered to be held in pre-trial detention.
