Five children (a 16-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy, two younger girls, and a 2-year-old girl) were tortured by their father, dubbed the ‘Springs Monster’. Their mother was also charged with child abuse, although she claimed that she was a victim of her husband. The children were homeschooled.
The children were “shocked with electric wires and burnt with a blow torch.” The 11-year-old boy “was made to stand naked on the porch one night as punishment,” was strung up by the wrists for two days, and was tortured with teargas. The 16-year-old girl was raped by her father. The father did not allow any of the children to receive medical care.
The abuse came to light when the 11-year-old boy escaped from the home and went to the neighbors for help. Before the parents could be arrested, the father beat the boy severely in retaliation for his outcry. The ‘Springs Monster’ was charged with 22 counts including rape and child abuse; his wife was charged with 20 similar counts.
Date: May 23, 2014
Location: Springs, Gauteng province, South Africa
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| Documents: | Date: |
| Joburg man’s house of torture exposed | 05-28-2014 |
| Community weeps for Springs family | 06-04-2014 |
| A look at the “house of horrors” | 01-23-2015 |
| ‘House of Horrors’ trial: Children to testify | 05-24-2016 |
| Shocking details emerge in Springs ‘house of horrors’ court case | 06-03-2016 |
| Springs ‘house of horror’ children were isolated from the world, court hears | 11-01-2016 |
