Inspired by their version of the Christian faith, a mother from Nijmegen and her husband subjected her son to all kinds of rules for years from the age of 11. If he did not comply, there were punishments. He was beaten, snarled at, belittled, given no food or drink, had to walk around in a squat position, only slept outside or was given an endless number of often unnecessary tasks.
The court on Friday sentenced the 38-year-old removed from parental authority mother and the 40-year-old stepfather of the now 16-year-old boy to the maximum community service and a suspended prison sentence for physical and psychological abuse for two years.
The parents said at the hearing two weeks ago that the rules and punishments were necessary to teach the boy discipline. They wanted to help him develop properly in this way. An "act of love," they called it.
They had described exactly how certain household tasks had to be done and in what order. They were not allowed to deviate from this. Neighbors saw how the boy had to do chores in the garden for hours on end in the hot sun or pouring rain, squatting with a heavy backpack. 'Slavery,' the neighbors called it.
His life was in the service of meeting their extreme demands. They marched together against him
Extreme demands
The stepfather hit with a stick or a belt. The mother did not intervene. She also sometimes hit her son, but then with her hand. She also forced him to fast.
The parents had the conviction that the punishment was just, by appealing to the Bible. 'There was no room for him to be himself and develop his own identity,' the court said in its ruling. 'His life was in the service of meeting their extreme demands. They acted collectively against him.'
A notebook from the boy shows how lonely and anxious he was and how completely he was thrown back on himself. 'He received no support, only assignments and tasks.'
'The damage is deep'
Eventually the boy reported himself to Safe Home, a reporting point for child abuse. He was placed in a foster home and the mother lost parental authority.
In its verdict, the court speaks of 'systematic abuse that seems to have broken the boy's life in the bud'. 'The damage is deep. There is no justification for this.'
Beaten herself too
The mother suffered trauma herself in her youth. That explains a bit, but does not make the consequences less, according to the court. She blames the mother heavily for not protecting her child against violence and an unsafe home situation.
The stepfather used to be beaten himself. The court blames him for taking the mother along in his view that violence was necessary to prevent the boy from derailing.
Maximum community service
The court considered imposing a prison sentence, but given the passage of time and the fact that the mother no longer has custody, she ultimately decided to impose the maximum community service of 240 hours on both.
As a warning, she also imposed a suspended prison sentence of five months with a probation of three years. The parents must pay the boy 5000 euros in compensation.
