A court in northern Spain has opened the trial against a couple accused of keeping their three children locked inside a house for years in a case that shocked the country and became widely known in the media as the “House of Horrors” of Oviedo.
Spain Press Editorial Team
The defendants, a 54-year-old German father and his 49-year-old American partner, stand accused of several serious offences including psychological abuse within the family, illegal detention and child neglect. Spanish prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of up to 25 years.
The trial is taking place on 10 and 11 March at the Provincial Court of Asturias and is being held behind closed doorsto protect the identity and well-being of the three minors involved.
The case first came to light in April 2025, after a neighbour alerted authorities to the possible presence of children inside a house in Fitoria, a rural area near Oviedo. Police officers entered the property on 28 April and discovered three children – two eight-year-old twins and a ten-year-old boy.
According to investigators, the children had not left the house since 2021. Reports indicated that they were living in unsanitary conditions, surrounded in part by animal excrement, and were still wearing face masks inside the house.
Both parents were arrested the same day and later placed in pre-trial detention. The three children were subsequently taken into the care of a child protection centre run by the regional government of Asturias.
Investigators believe the extreme isolation may have been driven by an intense fear of Covid-19, although the court proceedings are expected to determine the full circumstances behind the years-long confinement.The case has sparked a wider debate in Spain about child protection, parental responsibility and the psychological impact of the pandemic, as the court now examines how three children could remain isolated from the outside world for such a long period.
