Latest news with #childabuse
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- Health
- The Sun
Mum caught committing sick act on her frail daughter, 3, as she lay in a hospital bed – & it exposed an even darker past
LYING in her hospital bed, three-year-old Alyssa was desperately ill – painfully thin and dehydrated, her little frame covered with tubes. Her apparently doting mother Brittany Phillips sat by her side. But, when the nurses' backs were turned, she did the most unspeakably depraved act to her defenceless little girl. 4 4 When no one was looking, Phillips smeared human faeces onto Alyssa's feeding tube in a bid to make her MORE ill. She was aping a case she read about online concerning Emily McDonald, a 23-year-old mother from Austin who, four months earlier, had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for poisoning her daughter by putting poo onto her IV catheter. It was later revealed that Phillips had keyed in terms to her computer like 'poo in the feeding tube' and 'pee in veins'. Sick poisoning Hours later, Alyssa developed a rare and extremely dangerous blood infection caused by her mother's perverted act. Without the swift actions of doctors at Cook Children's Medical Centre – she could have suffered from heart failure, a stroke or even death. And that was just the tip of the iceberg of the horrendous abuse Phillips had put her daughter through in her short life. Phillips had insisted that Alyssa had to be in leg restraints for medical reasons. She also said she needed to be fed by a tube as she choked if she ate solid food. The little girl was emaciated and her growth stunted. Several family members had been so concerned that they'd filed reports with the CPS in Fort Worth, Texas, but no action was taken. Distant family members Bill and Laura Waybourn had been suspicious ever since they'd seen Alyssa at a family party a few months before. 4 They'd heard Phillips warn everyone that Alyssa couldn't eat anything, if she did, she'd choke. "We witnessed her eat a piece of cake and she didn't choke at all. She appeared to be very hungry," Waybourn said. And his wife, a CPS worker "was suspicious". "She got a close-up look at Alyssa and felt like something wasn't right. But nobody had any idea what was really going on behind the scenes, which was actually torturous," he told The Daily Mail. It transpires Phillips had Munchhausen by proxy – also known as medical child abuse – where a parent or care giver fakes, exaggerates and even causes illness in their child for the purpose of getting attention or some other benefit. A later search of her laptop revealed pages and pages of online research into the illnesses and symptoms she then tried to manufacture in her defenceless young daughter. It also showed her prolific activity on mums' internet forums – where she catalogued Alyssa's many 'illnesses' in a bid for sympathy. The day that changed everything In August 2011, a few weeks after that family party, Alyssa was taken to Cook's hospital, where her mother told medics she had dehydration. This was one of many hospital visits Alyssa had endured by the time she was three, so much so, she had spend much of her life in hospitals, and was worryingly underweight and short for her age. Despite concerned friends and family filing several reports to CPS over the years, it was this hospital visit that set off alarm bells with medical staff. During that day, Phillips repeatedly tried to stop Alyssa from eating, claiming she would choke, despite medical staff observing otherwise. She was aggressive and rude, and she piled blankets on her daughter then claimed she had a fever. She appeared to paint Alyssa's mouth blue and then claimed she was alarmingly cold. Then, Phillips suddenly demanded blood tests on her daughter. The blood test results revealed a life-threatening infection that doctors said had to have been caused by the three-year-old being poisoned. Medics feared Phillips was abusing her child, so moved Alyssa to another room which had surveillance cameras monitoring any activity inside. Phillips quickly noticed the cameras and was furious. Alyssa, on the other hand, under the watchful eye of a camera, rapidly got better. So much so, hospital staff alerted the authorities and Alyssa was taken out of Phillips' care and an investigation was launched. Following a brief period in foster care, the Waybourns took the little girl into their home, later adopting her. In an interview, Bill Waybourn said they 'saw tremendous improvements immediately' adding: 'She started eating by mouth everything in sight. The doctors were blown away by how well she was doing.' But over time, the Waybourns noticed trauma manifesting in Alyssa's behaviour. 'She was really protective of her food. If she had a plate of food and got down from the table for a minute and came back and the plate was gone, she would be extremely upset,' Waybourn recalled. 'She also had a funny gait where she would walk on her toes. We had to coach her out of doing that, to walk on her whole foot.' Alyssa's reaction to medical staff and treatments was also telling. British cases of Munchausen Syndrome revealed In August 2016 a woman from south London has been jailed for fraud and child abuse after causing her children to undergo surgery for fictitious medical problems. Croydon Crown Court heard the mother of six, who cannot be named for legal reasons, persuaded doctors to prescribe copious medication and provide equipment for her children worth more than £145,000, which - as they did not require it - was potentially dangerous for them, the prosecution said. She also convinced them to perform invasive operations and insert feeding tubes into her son and daughter's stomachs. Serial killer nurse Beverly Allitt, dubbed the Angel of Death was given 13 life sentences in 1993 for murdering four children, attempting to murder another three and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to further six at Grantham and Kesteven hospital in Lincolnshire. The former nurse was diagnosed as suffering from Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP) when she carried out the attacks between 1991 and 1993. In January 2010, Lisa Hayden-Johnson was sentenced to three years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of child cruelty and perverting the course of justice – in one of the most notable examples of Munchausens by proxy. Hayden-Johnson began her deceitful actions shortly after the birth of her son Matthew in 2001. Claiming he was afflicted with numerous severe health issues, including cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and severe food allergies, she subjected him to unnecessary medical procedures and interventions. These included the use of a wheelchair, feeding tubes, and numerous hospital visits, totalling over 325 medical encounters. 'If you took her to a doctor or a paediatrician - even for something small like an earache - she would just totally freeze up,' he said. 'Those were all things we saw in the beginning. That went on for a long time.' Waybourn says a 'big fear' for him and Laura was that Phillips would try to regain custody of Alyssa. Terrifyingly she was allowed to visit at the beginning – up until the time Alyssa developed a rash after her mother had given her new toys. The Waybourns were sure she had put a substance on them to cause it. After that she wasn't allowed to see her. Over the years Alyssa has told her adopted parents some of what she endured. She confided that her mother used to pull her feeding tube in and out. She also coached her to choke in the doctor's surgery. In 2015, aged seven, she testified against her mother in court. Cuddling a teddy bear, she raised her T-shirt to reveal the physical evidence of her mother's torture – a scar on her stomach from unnecessary surgery to insert the feeding tube. Mental scarring No one will ever know the extent of the mental scarring. Despite her mother's actions though, Alyssa, who's now 17, is flourishing. 'Alyssa is not a victim,' Waybourn says. 'She is a thriving little woman and I couldn't be more proud of her.' Phillips' original court case was declared a mistrial. But soon after, in exchange for a five-year prison sentence, Phillips pleaded guilty to serious bodily injury to a child. In April 2022, a couple of years after she was released from prison, Phillips was found dead from an apparent overdose. According to Waybourn, Alyssa was initially teary. She went for some time alone in her room, and then when she came out she said: 'I'm free, free at last.' Finally she knew that her mother could never hurt her again. Alyssa's story is told in a book by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber entitled The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception and Munchausen by Proxy. Mike Weber, a now-retired Tarrant County investigator worked on Phillips' case. 4
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Mississauga teacher charged with assaulting, forcibly confining students
A Mississauga teacher has been charged with multiple counts of assault and forcible confinement after an investigation into allegations of child abuse involving students, Peel police said Friday. The incidents happened during the 2024-2025 academic year at a public school near Atwater Avenue and Cawthra Road, police said in a news release. Police said the teacher "physically moved" four students into a room and prevented them from leaving. The accused, 36, has been charged with four counts each of assault and forcible confinement. He has been released with conditions and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date. Police said the accused is currently suspended from the Peel District School Board as the court process continues. "Given the nature of the incident and the vulnerability of those involved, investigators are concerned there may be additional victims," the release said.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Convicted Stanley paedophile jailed for abusing girl
A convicted paedophile who went on to abuse a girl has been jailed for seven Mcaninley, 56, had a history of downloading and sharing images of child sex abuse when he groped a girl under the age of 13, Teesside Crown Court victim's mother said she had seen her "beautiful, carefree daughter turn into a lost child" because of Mcaninley's of Gainsborough Road in Stanley, County Durham, had denied wrongdoing but was found guilty of sexual assaulting a child by jurors. He had admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order imposed indefinitely in 2017 for the indecent images offences. As part of the order, he had to register any internet-enabled devices and bank accounts with police but failed to tell them about 10 such devices, the court a statement read to the court, the victim's mother said her daughter had endured severe mental health problems since the abuse and Mcaninley was "unsafe" to be around Andrew Haslam KC said Mcaninley was a predator who had a deeply entrenched sexual attraction to judge said Mcaninley posed a "high risk of serious sexual and emotional harm to children".Mcaninley will have to serve a further three years on extended licence and sign the sex offenders register for life.A new sexual harm prevention order was also made. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Three men are guilty of raping 12-year-old girl repeatedly over three days after they lured her from Asda car park
Three men have been convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl repeatedly over three days after they lured her from an Asda car park. Kevin Horvath and Ivan Turtak spotted the youngster in Dover on August 11, 2024 and encouraged her to get in their car. She was then given drugs, including crystal meth and amphetamine, and was passed between the two men and a third defendant, Ernest Gunar junior, who repeatedly raped her and subjected her to sexual acts. The girl was taken out in public by the trio, who told her she would be killed if she tried to talk to anyone or tried to run away. She was able to escape from them after she woke up before them on 13 August and was found by police in Dover. Her phone had been taken from her and was later found in Horvath's car. Catherine Wear from the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'The three defendants took a 12-year-old from the street, took full advantage of her, plying her with drugs and using her for their own horrendous gratification. 'None of us can underestimate the impact this has had on her. When she was first found by police, she was unable to tell them what she had been put through, as she was so scared, and the details only came out gradually after that. 'Thanks to her courage in detailing what happened to her, despite the obvious distress that caused her, these three dangerous men have now been brought to justice for the appalling and callous crimes they committed against her. 'We hope these verdicts bring some small comfort to her as she starts to rebuild her life.'
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Trio GUILTY of drugging and raping girl, 12, in three-day horror ordeal after luring her into car at Asda
THREE predators have been found guilty of raping a 12-year-old girl in a three-day ordeal after luring her into a car at Asda. Ivan Turtak, 38, Kevin Horvath, 25, and Ernest Gunar, 27, passed the young girl around "like a receptacle" for their sexual pleasure. 3 The "complete strangers" had "targeted and exploited" the victim after spotting her alone in the supermarket car park. All three have been been convicted of raping a child under 13 and a number of other offences. Canterbury Crown Court heard they struck on August 11, 2024, by persuading her to get in Horvath's car with the promise of a cigarette. The evil trio then drove her to Turtak's flat in Dover before she was taken to Gunar's caravan in Folkestone. Once there, the girl was plied with drugs - including crystal meth - and subjected to rape and other sexual acts. Threats to kill her were made if she tried to leave or raise the alarm and a photo of her standing naked in a bathtub was also taken. The horror only came to an end when the schoolgirl made a daring escape out of a window. She was found wearing different clothes by police three days after she was taken. At first, she did not reveal the abuse and claimed she had changed into clothes she found by the side of the road. However, she later gave varied accounts to both her family, police, and in a diary entry that included being attacked in a park and being abducted. Prosecutor Hannah Llewellyn-Waters said that while the accounts differed, the central part of her allegations still ran true - that the trio targeted her and gave her drugs to make her compliant for their sexual desires. She added: "We say that she was passed around and treated effectively as a receptacle for their own sexual gratification, and the defendants' conduct, in the Crown's case, was callous, degrading, and it was entirely exploitative." Horvath was convicted of sexual assault of a child under 13 after previously admitting three counts of rape and assault by penetration. Turtak was found guilty or raping a child under 13, having admitted taking indecent photos of a child. Gunar was convicted of two charges of rape of a child under 13 after he previously pleaded guilty to one charge of rape of a child under 13. Catherine Wear from the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'The three defendants took a 12-year-old from the street, took full advantage of her, plying her with drugs and using her for their own horrendous gratification. 'None of us can underestimate the impact this has had on her. When she was first found by police, she was unable to tell them what she had been put through, as she was so scared, and the details only came out gradually after that. 'Thanks to her courage in detailing what happened to her, despite the obvious distress that caused her, these three dangerous men have now been brought to justice for the appalling and callous crimes they committed against her. 'We hope these verdicts bring some small comfort to her as she starts to rebuild her life.' 3 3
