A court in the Italian city of L'Aquila, Abruzzo region, has rejected an appeal by a British-Australian couple against the decision to place their three children in a home for minors deprived of parental care, the Italian news agency ANSA reported, quoted by BTA.
Australian Catherine Birmingham and her British husband Nathan Trevally raised the children in a house without electricity and running water in a forest near the village of Palmoli, Abruzzo region.
In October, the court ruled that the couple's children must go to a home, and they currently live in one in Vasto, where the mother can be with them for a certain amount of time during the day.
Last month, the couple agreed temporarily to move into a farmhouse built by a local restaurateur while their own home is renovated, thus helping them through the process of regaining custody.
The decision to place the children in a home has drawn criticism from the government. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio called it “serious” and ordered an investigation, while Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Sustainable Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini compared it to kidnapping.