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28/05/2012
Couple Locked 11-Year-Old In Coal Bunker
A woman who locked her 11-year-old son in a coal bunker has been jailed for two years.
The same sentence was handed down to the woman’s partner.
Social workers described the bunker where the boy was forced to sleep as a cell.
He was given a potty when he was locked up at night in the converted bunker, which had no heating and little furniture.
The boy was left to sleep on a dirty mattress with a sleeping bag, and the light bulb and walls off the room were uncovered.
The Blackpool couple, both in their forties, pleaded guilty to neglect.
Judge Norman Wright, sentencing, told them their actions amounted to a "flagrant abuse of power" and said the psychological harm done would be "profound".
He added: "The room has been described as a cell but it seems to me it was akin to a prison cell from a third world country, not the home of an 11- or 12-year-old living in this century in this country."
Addressing the woman, he said: "Your counsel say that you were someone who loved your son very much. If that was so, how can you behave like this?"
The couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police the boy was put in the room as punishment for raiding the fridge.
But he lived there between the ages of 11 and 12 before his school became concerned.
The boy has been placed in foster care, where he has put on weight and his behaviour has improved.
(NE)
The same sentence was handed down to the woman’s partner.
Social workers described the bunker where the boy was forced to sleep as a cell.
He was given a potty when he was locked up at night in the converted bunker, which had no heating and little furniture.
The boy was left to sleep on a dirty mattress with a sleeping bag, and the light bulb and walls off the room were uncovered.
The Blackpool couple, both in their forties, pleaded guilty to neglect.
Judge Norman Wright, sentencing, told them their actions amounted to a "flagrant abuse of power" and said the psychological harm done would be "profound".
He added: "The room has been described as a cell but it seems to me it was akin to a prison cell from a third world country, not the home of an 11- or 12-year-old living in this century in this country."
Addressing the woman, he said: "Your counsel say that you were someone who loved your son very much. If that was so, how can you behave like this?"
The couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police the boy was put in the room as punishment for raiding the fridge.
But he lived there between the ages of 11 and 12 before his school became concerned.
The boy has been placed in foster care, where he has put on weight and his behaviour has improved.
(NE)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A showery start with outbreaks most frequent north of Lough Neagh and through the morning, before dwindling during the afternoon as the northwest breezes ease and brighter spells of weak sunshine prosper. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A dry night, save for a few light showers around the coasts, with prolonged clear spells and light winds bringing a frosty dawn for many in central and southern parts. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
