Berlin - German childcare authorities said Monday they had taken into care the 12-year-old son of Christiane F, whose tale of drug abuse and prostitution as a
14-year-old in Berlin found an international audience 30 years ago.

"She can no longer fulfil her parental and care duties," a spokeswoman for the Youth Department in Potsdam near Berlin said.

Christiane F, who is now 46, has never completely recovered from the drug habit that propelled her to renown following the 1979 publication of "Christiane F - Wir Kinder von Bahnhof Zoo" (We children from the Zoo Station).

The book was subsequently translated into English under the title Christiane F, as well as into several other languages.

The book was filmed under the same title, with Christiane F acting as an advisor but not herself appearing.

It was shot on location in the more rundown parts of Berlin she frequented at the time and was released in 1981 with a score by David Bowie.

The Potsdam authorities said they were looking into whether the 12-year-old could be looked after by his grandmother. Christiane F is to have full visiting rights.

Youth officials have been monitoring the family since it moved from Berlin in 1995.

The book arose out of lengthy interviews with Christiane F conducted by two reporters from Germany's Stern magazine and focusing on the years 1976-78.

She had by then extricated herself from the drugs and prostitution scene around the station, the main station in West Berlin at the time. (dpa)