The brother of a boy with a brain tumour who was taken to Spain by his parents without permission from doctors has defended their actions.

Ashya King's mother and father are expected before a Spanish judge later after taking him from a Southampton hospital on Thursday.

It sparked a Europe-wide search, but they say they were just trying to get the best treatment.

Naveed King has posted a video online insisting fears over his brother's welfare were unfounded:

Brett King, 51, and his wife Naghmeh, 45, from Portsmouth, were arrested in Spain on Saturday after taking their five-year-old son, who has a brain tumour, out of hospital in Southampton to seek specialist cancer treatment abroad.

A ruling on whether they are to be transferred to a Madrid court for an extradition hearing is expected today, according to reports.

On Sunday, they were taken in handcuffs to a court house in the town of Velez-Malaga.

Stable condition

Ashya, who had surgery for a brain tumour last week at Southampton General Hospital, is thought to be in a stable condition at the Materno-Infantil hospital in Malaga.

His six brothers and sisters are still thought to be in the southern Spanish city.

Earlier, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead, of Hampshire Police, defended his force's actions.

"Faced with the situation that we were, we had medical experts telling us Ashya was in grave danger ... if he didn't get the care that he needed there was a potential threat to his life," he said.

"So I make no apologies for being as proactive in this investigation as we have been."

He said it was too soon to say when Ashya would come back to the UK, but said Southampton General Hospital was liaising with doctors taking care of him in Spain.