Ashya King due to fly to Prague for proton therapy treatment next week

Family lawyer has said Ashya is in 'perfect condition' to travel

Ashya King's parents Brett and Naghmeh are currently by his side in Malaga, Spain (Reuters)

Critically-ill five-year-old Ashya King is due to travel to Prague next week for specialist proton therapy treatment that his family hopes will save him from a life-threatening brain tumour.

It’s the latest development in a saga that began when Ashya’s parents took him from a Southampton hospital without doctors' consent and fled abroad last month, sparking an international police manhunt over concerns for his wellbeing.

They claimed the hospital had refused to offer proton therapy treatment for his condition, known as medulloblastoma, which staff deny.

The British High Court has since granted the family permission to pursue the pioneering treatment, provided they could cover the cost and that it got underway soon.

Ashya King, who has a brain tumour, is due to receive pioneering proton therapy treatment

Ashya’s father Brett and mother Naghmeh are currently by his side at a hospital in Malaga, Spain, after being released from a Spanish prison on Thursday, where they were being detained.

A lawyer for the family told the BBC that Ashya was in “perfect condition” to travel to Prague for the therapy.

Doctors at the Proton Therapy Centre are expected to meet on Monday to review medical notes and decide whether he can travel. They said they would be ready to treat Ashya in four to five days.

A medically-equipped plane is expected to collect the family from Spain and fly them out to Prague.

Following public outcry, a review is due to be held into the handling of the incident by police and social services.