The man who has been hiding his eight-year-old son from authorities for 15 months was arrested on Friday night after a standoff with police. The man barricaded himself with his son, Magnus, and the boy's mother in an apartment in Amager. Police finally stormed the apartment at 4am Friday morning. The man was given a preliminary hearing and remanded to custody for 25 days. The mother was released and the boy has been turned over to social services.
The father is an ex-convict who went underground with his son after Lolland Council threatened in June 2012 to remove the boy from his home and give him to a foster family. The father has a history of substance abuse and authorities were concerned about the child’s health and development if he stayed with his biological parents.
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The man had vowed to remain in hiding with his eight-year-old son until Lolland authorities gave him a chance to prove that he is capable of taking care of him. Some had accused Lolland Council of not doing enough to find the boy.
Hans Erik Lund Rasmussen, the head of Lolland's child and youth administration, rejected allegations that they have been too passive. He said they went to the police as soon as the boy went missing. He did acknowledge that the case had gone on for way too long.
