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| German mystery over man, 43, who never left home | German mystery over man, 43, who never left home |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| German police are investigating a couple who reportedly kept their son at home in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth for 30 years. | German police are investigating a couple who reportedly kept their son at home in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth for 30 years. |
| The man, who is now 43, has rarely been seen since he stopped attending school at the age of 13. | The man, who is now 43, has rarely been seen since he stopped attending school at the age of 13. |
| Police say he looked neglected but not underfed, and stress they may not press charges. | Police say he looked neglected but not underfed, and stress they may not press charges. |
| The mother told local media "he didn't want to go out", and she had only wanted to protect him. | The mother told local media "he didn't want to go out", and she had only wanted to protect him. |
| The police were alerted to the mysterious case by a tip-off last month, and took the man from his home to hospital. | |
| He has not been identified because of strict German privacy laws. | He has not been identified because of strict German privacy laws. |
| 'Maybe he wanted it that way' | 'Maybe he wanted it that way' |
| They refused to speak of a "rescue", and said it was more likely to be a family tragedy than a criminal case. | They refused to speak of a "rescue", and said it was more likely to be a family tragedy than a criminal case. |
| "We do not know exactly since when the man lived there without regular contact with the outside world, nor do we know what the situation really looked like - for example, whether or not he had the opportunity to leave the premises," police spokesman Juergen Stadter told journalists. | "We do not know exactly since when the man lived there without regular contact with the outside world, nor do we know what the situation really looked like - for example, whether or not he had the opportunity to leave the premises," police spokesman Juergen Stadter told journalists. |
| "Maybe the man himself wanted it that way," he added. | "Maybe the man himself wanted it that way," he added. |
| The only documentation the police say they have found so far is about 30 years old, showing he attended primary school and then a comprehensive. | The only documentation the police say they have found so far is about 30 years old, showing he attended primary school and then a comprehensive. |
| Paperwork dating back to when he was 13 appears to suggest that the school authorities deemed he was no longer fit to attend classes there, police said. | Paperwork dating back to when he was 13 appears to suggest that the school authorities deemed he was no longer fit to attend classes there, police said. |
| But speaking to the "Nordbayerische Kurier", the mother said in no way was he rescued. | But speaking to the "Nordbayerische Kurier", the mother said in no way was he rescued. |
| "He just didn't want to go out", she said, adding that and she and her husband had never locked him in. | "He just didn't want to go out", she said, adding that and she and her husband had never locked him in. |
| They had just wanted to protect him, she insisted, pointing out that he had been registered at the local residents' office. | They had just wanted to protect him, she insisted, pointing out that he had been registered at the local residents' office. |
| The regional hospital in Bayreuth where he has been taken has said he is as well as can be expected "under the circumstances", without elaborating further. | |
| He was being looked after by a specialised team of doctors, nurses and therapists, a spokesman said. | |
| The hospital will try to determine whether he is ill or has mental health issues. | |
| Questions are now being asked about how the man could have slipped through the net of youth, social and health services. |