French boy lived alone in unheated flat for two years after mum abandoned him

He was described as a model student, clean and polite. But behind the veneer the little boy was living a heartbreaking life.

He was described as a model student, clean and polite.

The little boy was reported to be “always smiling” and earned very good marks.

But behind the veneer was a very different story.

The nine-year-old French boy was actually abandoned, living alone in a derelict, unheated flat, and only surviving by stealing his neighbours tomatoes.

The boy’s ordeal in Nersac, a village on the outskirts of Angouleme in the Charente region, has captivated France.

The mother, aged 39, was sentenced last week to a six-month prison term, to be served at her residence with an electronic bracelet, for abandoning and endangering a minor.

The boy, who has not been named, was left by his mother to fend for himself in a council flat in 2020 after she moved in with a new partner three miles away.

She visited only occasionally, bringing him food on her scooter.

The boy’s father, who lived in another town, was not charged.

The nine-year-old boy lived in an unheated flat.

The police were called in after neighbours finally went to the police and the boy was taken into care.

The boy had lived alone, eating biscuits, tinned food and food scavenged from neighbours, including tomatoes stolen from a nearby balcony.

With no hot water, electricity or heating, he spent his time wrapped up in a sleeping bag and blankets.

The little boy’s mother would occasionally drop by and told neighbours, who repeatedly complained to her, to stay out of it.

The alarm was not raised because by outward appearances the boy appeared utterly normal.

Barbara Couturier, the mayor of Nersac, said the boy appeared so normal that no one suspected a thing at school.

The unnamed boy was described as a very good student who was always smiling. Picture: iStock

“He was a very good pupil, always clean and polite,” she said.

“Nothing suggested he was abandoned. I challenge anyone who can say they would have detected this situation,” she told local media.

A classmate told TF1 television: “He told his mates that he ate his meals alone and took the bus alone. He didn’t go out and stayed home all the time.”

At the trial, the mother insisted that the boy had lived with her, but police produced mobile data showing that her phone had hardly even been at the flat where he lived.

“I’m not a doting mother but he’s still my son,” she told the court.

As well as receiving a suspended sentence, the mother was ordered to undergo psychiatric counselling.

She has twice visited the boy, who is now living with a foster family. .