How can a sane parent do this...

The parents of a toddler shut their child in a changing room locker so that they could go swimming without being disturbed.

The poor toddler was rescued after his cries of distress alerted people to his presence there and they ran around to get him out. The moment he was pulled out by his mother was captured on camera. The horrific scene unfolded in Guangdong, South China.

Staff at the pool noticed the little boy being placed into the dark wooden compartment but they had no idea the parents planned to leave him there. It is not known how long he was there for until other visitors heard his wail. When they realised the cry was coming from inside the locker, they called the family to whom the locker had been assigned. 

When the mother arrived, she seemed to struggle to open the door as a man and four younger children hovered behind her. A horrified pool attendant quickly rushed over to the locker to open it with a key. The child's mother seemed completely unfazed as she scooped the boy out of the locker into her arms. 

The couple later admitted they left their son there because it was "convenient" and they didn't want to look after him during their swim. Many people branded the couple "careless, selfish and irresponsible" on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter. The parents have faced calls to have their guardianship revoked.

See the disturbing vSee the disturbing video below.