Five-year-old boy found dead in underwear after being 'forced to run as punishment for wetting his bed'

A five-year-old boy has been found dead after allegedly being forced to run several kilometres in the middle of the night as punishment for wetting his bed.

The boy was found yesterday, 200 yards from his home, at the side of a canal in Aire-sur-la-Lys in northern France, according to reports.

His parents are reported to have called the ambulance.

His stepdad allegedly made him run along the canal wearing only his underwear and socks.

According to reports the boy had suffered head trauma and a broken nose, police are trying to determine when these injuries were caused.

It is reported that the cause of death was attributed to cardiac arrest.

An investigation is underway and his mum, 22, and stepdad, 30, have both been arrested on suspicion of assault causing death.

#AireSurLaLys : un garçon de 5 ans mort après une punition infligée par son beau-père à cause d’un pipi au lit ? https://t.co/BPyA7KyWRU pic.twitter.com/tngMIclIT5

— La Voix du Nord (@lavoixdunord) February 7, 2017