Sentencing for woman accused of abusing adopted children

Fort Pierce, Florida - According to the Associated Press, Judith Leekin, who was accused of abusing 11 disabled children she adopted, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison:

Circuit Judge Robert Belanger on Wednesday called Judith Leekin's actions "reprehensible" and handed down the maximum punishment allowed in the plea agreement. Leekin, 63, pleaded no contest to four counts of aggravated child abuse and four counts of aggravated abuse of disabled adults. The adoptees are now in their mid-teens and 20s.

As conveyed in earlier FRIDA posts, the children, who were found severely malnourished in July 2007, were often handcuffed together and forced to soil themselves because they were not allowed to use the bathroom. They told authorities they had never seen a doctor or a dentist and had not been allowed to attend school or leave the house. According to court records, Judith Leekin used four aliases to adopt from different agencies and created fake report cards to show the children's progress, even though they were not attending school, according to court records and officials. The children were adopted in New York City before Judith Leekin moved to Florida in 1998.

According to this report in the Fort Pierce Tribune, the whereabouts of one of the children Judith Leekin adopted, Shane "Moo" Graham, a boy with Down syndrome, is is still unknown. It is alleged that Judith Leekin took Shane from their apartment in July 2000 and returned a half-hour later without him. Some of the adopted children have told police they believe that Shane, who would now be 20-years-old, is dead.

Two more charged in connection with the abuse of disabled East St Louis woman

East St. Louis, Illinois - Last Thursday, FRIDA reported that three teenagers had been charged with aggravated battery in connection with the severe beating of a 34-year-old woman with developmental disabilities in East St Louis. WTHI TV reports that two more people, Phillip Gilmore and Willie Bender, have been charged with neglect of a disabled person. According to police, both men were in the home with the woman and did nothing to stop the abuse she suffered or report it to police. Bail for both men has been set at $50,000. The woman suffered broken bones and bruising as a result of the beatings and her right leg was amputated after becoming gangrenous. It is alleged that the beatings took place on a regular basis over a three year period under the direction of the woman's now deceased sister.

Palestian police find a girl and her brother who having been locked away for 20 years because of their disabilities

From this Associated Press report. Here is an excerpt:

BEIT AWWA, West Bank - A Palestinian couple locked their disabled son and daughter away for decades out of fear they would ruin the marriage prospects of a healthy child if discovered, police said Wednesday.

The case highlights the shame felt by families who have children with disabilities in Palestinian society — made worse because of poor services and the practice of marriages between first cousins.

"This is sad, shameful and awful," rights activist Imad Abumohr said.

Few people in the rural town of Beit Awwa knew of Basam Musalmeh, 38, and his sister Nawal, 42. They were kept since childhood in two concrete rooms that stank of sweat and urine adjoining the family's house.

Police found them Tuesday night while searching for Hamas loyalists and criminals, said an official who asked not to be identified because the Palestinian Authority publicly denies it cracks down on the militant group.

Palestinian police commander Samih Saify said officers heard noises while searching the house and found the brother naked and the sister wearing a flimsy nightdress.

Their father was detained. Their mother died a few years ago, the family said. Police returned the siblings to the home because there was no other place for them. The family said their stepmother would care for them.