A little boy has been found dead in France after allegedly being beaten to death by his stepfather for ‘wetting the bed’.

The five-year-old boy was discovered last night by a canal near his home in Aire-sur-la-Lys, near St Omer in northern France.

He was wearing only pants and socks, had suffered a broken nose but the cause of death was attributed to cardiac arrest.

The Sun reported the boy’s 22-year-old mother and 30-year-old stepfather had been arrested and are also being questioned about allegations he was physically abused.

French police are said to be working on the theory that the boy was punished parents for wetting his bed.

The pair reportedly called an ambulance after finding him unconscious 200 yards from their home.

A police spokesman told Le Parisien: ‘The investigation must determine whether the child died of cold, if this is the result of a fall, or a case of abuse.’

The local prosecutor, Patrick Leleu, said: ‘A child of five years died in suspicious conditions as to the explanations that have been given, with a medical reason not established at this time.

‘The suspicious conditions of this death led us to put the parents in custody on suspicion of violence causing death.’

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