HULL MOTHER AND LOVER JAILED FOR HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE
A mother and her lover have been sentenced to four years in prison for abusing her underage daughter, with the abuse occurring over several years.The victim was forced to do chores such as cutting grass at night using scissors, and was struck with a hammer for stealing food.
Deborah Harrison, aged 37, along with Jennifer Harrison, aged 30, inflicted physical harm by hitting Deborah's teenage daughter with a hammer 34 times.
The judge at Hull Crown Court described this as "the worst case of actual bodily harm" he had encountered.
The court also heard that the girl was beaten with hairbrushes and a TV remote, and was made to sleep on the floor with dogs.
The victim, upon examination days later by a doctor, showed bruises covering her head and body.
She stated in a court-provided statement: "they would find me and kill me." During testimony, prosecutor David Gordon described feeling "like a child or an animal." Deborah Harrison, the birth mother, was criticized by the judge for failing to protect her child and instead abusing her.
The judge emphasized the severity of the trust breach and the seriousness of the wrongdoing, saying, "You [Deborah] were her birth mother and should have been protecting her, instead you did the exact opposite." Both women were convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm, which included beatings with hairbrushes and remote controls, and forcing the girl to sleep on the floor among dogs.
The judge condemned them, with the judge stating: "It is hard to imagine an offence more serious than that," and highlighting that the victim was entirely innocent.
Deborah Harrison was described as "sick" and was admonished for her actions.
The court sentenced both women to four years imprisonment, with Judge Simon Jack condemning Deborah for her betrayal of her parental responsibilities and calling the abuse "hard to imagine more worse in this case." The victim expressed her pain and anger, stating she hated her own name after the abuse, and admitted she hoped her justice would validate her suffering.
The court's verdict highlighted that there could hardly be worse abuse of trust and that the outcome reflected the gravity of the crime.
This case is noted as a serious incident of childhood abuse involving severe physical violence and betrayal by a parent.
