Czech parents punished for maltreating sons who never left flat

Prague - Czech parents who have never let their small sons leave their flat were found guilty of maltreatment by the Prague City Court that sent the man to prison for eight years and gave the woman a three-year suspended sentence and a protective psychiatric treatment today.

The man appealed the verdict on the spot. The woman and her defence lawyer took some time for consideration.

According to the charges, the parents have kept the boys in a flat in Prague isolated from the outer world since their birth which they concealed from the authorities. The boys, aged one and two years, were born at home and had no official birth certificates.

The parents did not feed the children sufficiently, they did not dress and wash them properly.

The parents denied the charges. They claim they looked after their children very well but they are opposed to traditional methods of child upbringing.

The man and his wife were accused of maltreating persons entrusted to their care. Experts say they have caused the sons aggravated bodily harm.

When the police found the boys, they could neither walk nor speak, they kept crying and sometimes made inarticulate sounds. Their bite reflex was undeveloped and they were neither physically nor mentally developed for their age.

The children's brain functions are allegedly damaged and it cannot be ruled out that they will suffer from permanent consequences.

The court imposed the severe sentence on the man since he was undoubtedly the leading personality in the couple.

A court expert described him as a "tyrant, manipulator, self-professed healer and priest." He prevented not only the sons bust also his wife, who was psychologically dependent on him, from leaving the flat.

The woman was given a suspended sentence since she was not fully sound in mind. A psychologist said her husband had brainwashed her.

The parents, for their part, say they took a good care of them, they bought the best and most expensive organic food for them and gave them purees as well as fruit and vegetables juices.

According to the parents, the boys did not need to go out, they wore only nappies since it was hot in the flat and they were healthy and therefore they did not need medical check-ups.

The parents explained they had not registered their sons with the authorities as they did not agree with vaccination.

Policemen revealed the case when they arrived in a flat near the city centre to solve problems with the parents' cohabitation. The woman called the police saying she feared her husband as he threatened her with killing.

According to the police's testimony, the woman told them herself that she had two unregistered kids at home. Detectives then found out that the children had never abandoned the flat.

The relatives told the court that they had no idea about the boys' existence.

The couple have also a 13-year-old daughter who has been living with her grand-parents since the age of five. She does not meet her parents.

Author: CTK
www.ctk.cz

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