Witness alleges years of severe abuse at the hands of parents
WARNING: Disturbing content
A jury heard some horrific evidence Thursday at the trial of a London, Ont. couple charged with physically and sexually abusing their children.
The witness, who cannot be identified and who is now an adult, testified about the abuse suffered over a number of years, saying both parents were involved with them sexually.
”I gave up, I got depressed, I gained a lot of weight. I was getting raped once a month by my father. I gave up as a kid,” said the witness.
The jury was told the children weren’t allowed to go out on their own much, ”My mother didn’t want me in a place where I could tell people what was going on at the house, basically her hurting us and her beating us.”
The witness added, “My mother wanted to paint this image that she was a great mother.”
The court heard the kids would be sexually assaulted and, at times, tied up to a chair with duct tape, “My siblings were all treated like garbage and so was I.”
The mother and father, both in their fifties, face a total of 47 charges, including sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, incest, and failing to provide the necessaries of life.
The alleged incidents are to have happened between 2003 and 2020. Both of the accused have pleaded not guilty.
While testifying from a different room in the courthouse, the witness asked for frequent breaks, “It’s emotional for me can I take five minutes?”
The trial is now into its third week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.