Parents sold daughter, 14, to stranger for ‘£4,000 and five bottles of whiskey’ | World | News

A 14-year-old girl was allegedly sold by her family to a stranger for £4,000 and five bottles of whiskey. Five people were arrested in connection with the crime following an alleged deal between the teenager’s parents and another couple who wanted their son to marry the underage girl.

The shocking crime came to light after Spanish police noticed the young girl begging outside a local supermarket in Western Catalonia. Local authorities allege the girl’s parents agreed to sell her to the man and in return received €5,000 (£4,418), five bottles of whiskey and food from a couple in Lleida, Catalonia.

According to The Olive Press, the Guardia Civil stated that the young girl “remained under the control of the family who bought her for the purpose of carrying out a forced marriage.” They added that the young girl was also banned from going to school and was forced to spend her days outside begging to give back to her family.

The 14-year-old boy was first discovered by police outside a supermarket in the western Catalonia town of Les Borges Blanques. Investigators believe the minor was “sold” as part of a Roma cultural practice that has no legal status in Spain.

The teenager’s 35-year-old parents, the couple aged 40 and 42 who allegedly “bought” her, and their 20-year-old son, who was said to have married the girl, were arrested. Three of those detained were suspected of human trafficking and were ordered not to have contact with the girl.

The individuals were later released from prison pending further investigation, CatalanNews reported. A source reportedly claimed that the teenager chose to return to his family and did not consider himself a victim of the crime.