Police have rescued 14 siblings, including a baby, from a ‘house of horrors’ where they were allegedly tortured, beaten and fed animal food by their parents.
The children were removed from a suburban Sydney home after the two eldest daughters, in their late teens, secretly recorded the alleged abuse and emailed their school requesting a welfare check.
The two officers, who were first on the scene, described the conditions as ‘horrendous’ after seeing the children’s thin bodies hidden under ill-fitting and dirty clothing.
Police allege the siblings, boys and girls ranging in age from seven months to 19 years old, were unable to attend school and were locked in the house.
They also allege that the parents hit and abused their children when they spoke out of line or did not do their chores.
Fourteen children – boys and girls ranging in age from seven months to 19 years old – from their Sydney home after the two eldest daughters recorded their parents allegedly abusing them
The 18-year-old daughter said her parents locked her up when she became too curious and asked too many questions.
‘We were not allowed to speak without permission. No friends, no internet access. No clothes, no job, no life, no studies,” she told the newspaper Daily telegram.
The older girls were assigned daily child care, as well as chores and daily religious study.
Their mother, who converted to Islam as an adult, then reported the children’s “bad” behavior to her husband when he returned home.
Based on the mother’s report, the father would then punish the children who were “naughty” with bashing.
One of the daughters claimed that her father bought her a cat only to torture him in front of her as punishment.
‘It was something that really touched me. “I liked cats, so he would beat them and then make me walk around with the dead cats,” she said.
Another sister claimed that she was emotionally abused by her parents and always sought their approval.
She once explained that when she spent the day cooking and baking for ten men who came to the house, her father was angry about dust on the cupboard.
The teen said she did her best to make her father happy so she could “stop the bad things.”
The children were reportedly fed “pet quality” meat, beaten and beaten, and not allowed to leave the house. They would also be unable to go to school and have no access to phones, books and social media, with only the two eldest allowed to leave the house to pray.
The pair took action after seeing their younger brother struggle mentally, fearing the alleged abuse would cause irreversible mental health damage or lead to him committing suicide.
Using their iPads, the sisters secretly gathered information from the Internet about child abuse, abuse and what was legally acceptable for a parent.
They also took photos of the alleged abuse, especially of their younger siblings who were allegedly beaten.
When one of the children was allegedly abused, one of the older sisters sent an email to the school requesting a welfare check.
A seasoned detective was assigned to instruct his team to enter the home and assess the children’s well-being.
While waiting for the father to leave, his officers entered the home and approached every child old enough to speak.
“We were a little worried because once we got there and they didn’t say anything, yeah, of course, we were worried about what he was going to do when daddy gets back,” the officer said. “It was quite stressful.”
The officers received “so much information” from the children and were able to gather additional evidence, leading to more charges for the parents.
One officer explained that the children had “nothing worth saving” from the home because they did not even have basic necessities such as sheets, pillows or blankets.
The eldest sister said she was scared but had “a good feeling” when she saw police enter her home.
She remembers comforting her sister after she started crying as police handcuffed their mother and led her away.
One of the girls said making a statement to police was the “best part” because it gave her the freedom to tell the truth in a safe environment.
“Making a statement to the police was probably the most fun part of it… I know it sounds strange to say, you know giving statements to the police was fun. But it was,” she said.
One of the female officers who was first on the scene and is still in contact with the family was instructed to let the children know that their parents would not be coming home.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured) said she was proud of the dedication and compassion of the two first responding officers and their continued care for the family
Officers had to teach the children how to do basic errands, including grocery shopping and even lessons about money.
Detectives worked hard to keep the family together, with the older siblings insisting on caring for the younger children.
“It’s such an unusual case, so there will definitely be some bumps,” the chief officer said.
“The girls know they have taken on a huge responsibility, but they were up for the challenge if it meant keeping their family together.”
Within a few months of their rescue, the children all received a good education and had everything necessary for their education.
The oldest girls care for their twelve other siblings, run household errands, and take their siblings to school and all their medical appointments.
Officers said the pair have taken on the responsibility of being parents and would like to see a possible ‘respite’ for them so they too can live ‘their own lives’.
“We would like to see them get some respite, perhaps a nanny to help them while they study and focus on their own goals and dreams,” the officers said.
‘They’re not complaining though, they are the most fantastic young ladies and we would do everything we can to support them.’
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she was proud of the dedication and compassion of the two first responding officers and their continued care for the family.
The children’s mother and father are in court.