Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
An elderly couple has been found guilty of historic child abuse after locking one of their foster children in a chicken coop. Douglas Daniel, 80, and his wife Barbara, 75, subjected six foster children, ranging in age from four to 14, to cruel treatment while they were in their care at their home in Glasgow’s Parkhead between 1986 and 1991.
Testimonies presented during the trial revealed horrific details of the abuse. Some of the children were reportedly confined inside an animal pen, forced to bathe in a bird bath, and made to eat a cow tongue intended for a pet ferret. Although the couple, who currently reside in Kent, England, denied all allegations, the jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court unanimously found them guilty on six counts of cruelty and unnatural treatment of a child.
Sheriff Louise Arrol described the couple’s actions as “unspeakable abuse” and emphasized that their home, meant to be a sanctuary for vulnerable children, had instead become what she called “nothing short of a house of horrors.” The court learned that the Daniels began fostering children in 1986, over a span during which they cared for up to 100 children.
Multiple victims, now adults, recounted their experiences in court. One woman, who was nine years old when she arrived with her four-year-old sister, described how Douglas Daniel locked her terrified sister inside a chicken coop. Another victim spoke about being punished by being forced to stand near geese that would nip at her, leaving lasting marks. Others recalled being deprived of food or given inedible meals, including a repulsive cow tongue. The abuse also involved physical violence, with Barbara Daniel hitting children with a wooden spoon and pulling hair, while Douglas Daniel inflicted slaps and conducted humiliating inspections. Despite his denials during the trial, the evidence led to the couple’s conviction.
Sentencing has been postponed until March to allow for background reports. In court, Sheriff Arrol acknowledged the courage of the victims for coming forward after decades of trauma, stating, “These were vulnerable children who were removed from their caregivers and taken to a place of safety which was supposed to be you… I cannot understand human beings behaving in this way, let alone towards children. I commend your victims for coming forward to relive lifelong trauma and today justice has caught up with you.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.