Mother, father and son jailed over abuse of girls in Leeds

Two young victims of a campaign of cruelty and sexual abuse suffered “the childhood from hell”, a court heard.
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A mother, father and son have been jailed for a total of 29 years for subjecting two girls they adopted to years of physical and sexual abuse.

Leeds Crown Court heard the vulnerable youngsters were abused over a ten-year period at their home in west Leeds.

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One of the girls suffered regular physical assaults at the mother’s hands. She was punched and dragged around by her hair or ears.

On another occasion she was thrown out into the street and forced to spend the night outside alone.

She was also forced to eat birthday cake until she was physically sick.

Jailing them, judge Sally Cahill, QC, told the mother: “You were trusted by society to take those girls and care for them with the love and guidance to which all children are entitled.

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“Instead you gave them what can only be described as the childhood from hell.

“You caused her physical scars but the emotional scars go even deeper. You were supposed to be the mother and instead you were the abuser.”

To the father she said: “This was the most massive breach of trust. You were entrusted with a child who you adopted and she was entitled to believe you would care for her as any father should.”

The father was jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of attempted rape, two offences of sexual activity with a child, two of sexual assault and three of indecent assault. The mother was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to three offences of cruelty. The son, who was aged 14 or 15 at the time of the offence, was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of three offences of rape.

Safeguarding chiefs from Leeds City Council said all appropriate checks were carried out before the adoption.