A mother in China reportedly tied her young son to the handrails after her ex-husband allegedly missed 1,000 yuan (£114) in child support payment, according to reports.

The mother then took pictures of the screaming toddler before sending them to her ex-husband to demand the money.

The father lives about our hours drive away and had to send the pictures to the child’s grandparents, who spent nearly 20 minutes freeing the traumatised boy.

The appalling incident occurred in Leiyang city, southern China’s Hunan Province, reported Chinese news website Sina.com, citing another Chinese site The Paper.

The disturbing pictures, which were taken by the mother, had been circulating on WeChat, a Chinese social media app.

News Reports claimed that the boy’s parents divorced in the first half of 2016. The couple have two sons. The elder son lives with the mother and the younger son lives with the father apparently.

However, since July, the father had requested his ex-wife to look after their younger son for one semester on the condition that he would pay her 2,000 yuan (£229) for child support each month.

The report also claimed that the man paid 5,700 yuan (£653) to his ex-wife to cover the tuition fees for their elder son.

The report quoted an insider who claimed that the father paid an amount of 13,200 yuan (£1,512) to his ex-wife in August, September and October.

But on November 5, the mother reportedly received £115 instead of the promised £229 from her ex-husband.

Feeling angry, she decided to tie up their younger son to the staircase of the building she lives in and took the pictures which she then sent to the child’s father who lives in a different city some 390 kilometres (242 miles) away.

The father couldn’t go home immediately so he sent the pictures to his parents who live in the same city of his ex-wife.

His parents spent almost 20 minutes freeing the boy from the handrails. The child was described to be in a ‘horrified’ and ‘desperate’ state when he was rescued.

The father told a reporter that he and his wife were in discussion regarding the child support payment. He refused to give further details.

Four Adults, Teen And Toddler Found Dead From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The Jefferson County sheriff has confirmed that four people – two adults, a teenager and a toddler — died last weekend at a residence apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning.

James Miller, 42, and Andrea Margaret Miller, 46, were among the victims who were found dead about noon Sunday at a residence on Hillcrest Drive between Leetown and Kearneysville, Sheriff Pete Dougherty said.

A 16-year-old male, who is believed to be the son of James Miller, and a 3-year-old girl, believed to be the granddaughter of Andrea Miller, also were found dead, the sheriff said.

The names of the juveniles have not been released to date.

When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, they found a strong odor and discovered the victims inside.

Dougherty said that officers found a generator that was being used inside the home, and they believe that carbon monoxide poisoning appears to be the cause of the deaths.

The bodies were taken to a local funeral home and then later transported to Charleston to the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

Dougherty said the residence is an area which is located on the border of Jefferson and Berkeley counties.