A young boy lived alone for nearly two years in a low-income housing apartment in Nersac, near Angoulême (Charente), between 2020 and 2022.
His mother, Alexandra, 36, who had custody of him, lived in Sireuil, a town 5 kilometers away, with her partner. Occasionally, she visited her son to provide some food.
According to La Chantra Libre, the boy, aged between 9 and 11 during this period, survived on cakes, cold canned food, and tomatoes stolen from a neighbor's balcony.
He maintained a small garden from which he discreetly took tomatoes for food, as described by a neighbor to TF1.
Slept Under Three Blankets and Washed in Cold Water
The apartment had no heating or electricity, so the boy slept with three blankets to avoid freezing and washed with cold water. Despite these conditions, he regularly attended school and performed well, with teachers unaware of his situation.
The neighbors eventually alerted the authorities.
In court, Alexandra did not acknowledge the facts.
"I am not a mother hen, but he is still my son," she stated.
The boy has been living with a foster family for over a year, and his mother has only visited him twice since.
The child no longer wishes to see his mother.
Alexandra has been sentenced to six months of electronic monitoring for "abandonment of a minor compromising his safety."