Police in London issued an appeal for information Wednesday after a teenage boy who claimed to have been kept prisoner in a house for eight years was found wandering the streets.
A photograph of the boy, who is believed to be 12 or 13, was released by police after months of inquiries following his discovery in March failed to provide any further details about his background.
Police said the boy, who knew his name and had a rough estimate of his age, but was unsure of his address, was found in a distressed and confused state in south London.
Speaking in broken English, which he said he had learned from watching television, he told detectives he had been brought to the house when he was five, and had been kept there for eight years, but never attended school.
The boy, possibly of North African or Asian origin, also said he had been subjected to physical abuse.
Police say there is no reason to doubt the boy is from Britain, despite his limited grasp of English.
Now being looked after by social services, he is attending school.
A police spokesman told AFP: "We are taking the matter seriously enough to have issued the picture to the press, which is very unusual.
"We are hoping someone will recognize him and come forward with information about him" to shed some light on his life.
The spokesman said officers had tried to get as many details as they could from him, but his understanding of what had happened to him was confused -- LONDON (AFP)
