Mother is jailed for using her daughter as 'slave'

A CALLOUS mother who used one of her children like "a slave" from the age of eight and mistreated two others has been jailed for cruelty.

Her elder daughter told police she was expected to fetch and carry on demand for her mother, who sometimes rang a bell to summon her at night.

She also had to feed and dress her younger sister and care for her baby brother.

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The youngster was slapped if she did not do as she was told and on one occasion, Leeds Crown Court heard, she had a crucifix held to her because her mother and grandmother told her she was possessed by the Devil.

A neighbour who arrived during the incident found the grandmother reading extracts from Revelations which the pair said would drive the Devil out.

Another who came to help out after the birth of the son cleaned the house after finding faeces on walls in the youngest girl's room, where she had only a piece of foam to sleep on.

The mother's mistreatment continued after the family moved from Lancashire to Leeds and a new boyfriend joined in chastising them.

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Eventually a concerned neighbour called the police after seeing marks on one of the youngsters.

The mother, aged 30, admitted cruelty against all three children, who cannot be identified, and was jailed for 25 months.

Her boyfriend aged 33, recently of Knottingley, was jailed for 16 months.

Sentencing the mother yesterday, Judge Christopher Batty said she was the person who should have been protecting the children.

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He accepted that when she first had sole care of the two girls she had just come out of a violent relationship and had mental health issues, suffering depression.

"But these facts did not give you the right or provide you with an excuse to mistreat the children in the way you did."

By her behaviour she had "taken away the childhood" of the older girl, and "witnesses who came to the house describe you as treating her like a slave".

The judge said if the girl misbehaved at bathtime her mother held her head under water, saying it would shut the "bitch" up.

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On an occasion when the younger girl took food from the fridge without permission she was forced to drink a cocktail of scented oils, orange juice and salt.

When the family moved to Leeds the new boyfriend followed the mother's example, kicking the girls in chastisement. He also held the younger girl under the water in punishment at bathtime.

On a further occasion he took one of the girls upstairs, holding her by her ankles so her head struck the uncarpeted steps.

"I accept this was not a campaign of malicious violence by the two of you, in my view it was wholly unnecessary violence administered at times when the children were being children and not doing as they were told."

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Katherine Robinson, for the mother, said she was an inadequate parent who could not cope after the birth of her son.

Michael Collins for her co-accused said he was ashamed in his lack of experience to have followed the pattern set by the children's mother.

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