Mum who left her children blindfolded in woods sent to country's toughest prison

A MOTHER who left her children blindfolded and abandoned in a Portuguese forest has been remanded to the country's highest-security women's prison while she awaits trial.

The father of the two young boys said his children will need to 'rebuild their lives.'

Their mother, Marine Rousseau, 41, and her boyfriend Marc Ballabriga, 55, were taken into custody last Thursday, two days after allegedly blindfolding the boys, aged three and five, leaving them in the woods, and driving away.

The children appeared 'distraught' and 'crying' when they were discovered walking along a roadside near Alcacer do Sal, Portugal, by a local baker heading to work. Both boys have since been placed in temporary foster care while arrangements are finalised for their return to France.

French authorities have formally requested the repatriation of the two children.

The father, who chose to remain anonymous, has spoken out publicly about the ordeal for the first time, revealing he keeps his phone within reach at every moment, waiting for a call from Portuguese authorities instructing him to collect his sons, reports the Mirror.

He told French TV channel Ici Alsace TV: "It's only a matter of days before I get my children back. I think about them every second since the Colmar police station contacted me to tell me they were missing."

Discussing the lasting impact on his children, he said: "My children will have to rebuild their lives, just as I rebuilt mine, and they don't need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy. I'm not trying to defend or minimise what happened - it's deeply shocking."

The father, who divorced Rousseau two years ago, is believed to have rights to supervised visits with his sons. Before being transported to Portugal by their mother and stepfather earlier this month, the children had been residing with the pair in Colmar, eastern France.

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He informed reporters he would only make further statements after being "reunited" with his children.

Both boys have since been placed in temporary foster care while arrangements are finalized for their return to France.

During a court appearance in Setubal on Saturday, Rousseau was observed singing to herself before proceedings began, which lasted until midnight. She and Ballabriga are facing charges of child abandonment and endangerment, while he confronts an additional charge of aggravated assault.

The judge ruled they be held in pretrial detention until their next court appearance.