If like me you have followed the story of the father in Austria who kept one of his children locked up for 24 years in a cellar, had 7 children by her and kept some of them locked downstairs with her and brought some up as his own, you must think the same as me. What kind of a world do we live in?

What kind of a sick man can actually keep someone hidden underground for 24 years, abuse them and when found out, act as if nothing has happened and what he had been doing was not wrong?

The police involved in the case say that the “father” in question does not think he has done anything wrong and is being very arrogant during questioning. While the case speaks for itself, with the discovery of a labyrinth of rooms under the main house, it was heartbreaking to hear about the children’s first glimpse of sunlight, first look at the moon and first car journey. They have been deprived of the things which we take for granted every day of our lives, their immune systems are said to be at breaking point and they cannot actually communicate in the traditional way. What hope is there?

The doctors associated with the case have been amazed at the way the family have adapted to life on the outside, how well educated they are and how balanced they seem to be. This is all testament to the courage and ability of their mother to look after and protect them even in the most horrendous of situations. How must she be feeling now? Guilt, relief, you name it and she must be feeling it.

Sadly it has not all ended happily as one of the children is fighting for their life at hospital in a coma, their immune system under attack and the chances of survival very slim. What kind of a world is this we live in?