Girl was raped and abused by members of her own family – as father, mother, brothers, grandfather and uncle are all found guilty

Family members, including a father and two brothers, were found guilty of raping and abusing a girl.

The court heard the girl was burned, beaten and locked up by three generations of her own family during her horrific ordeal.

While she was sexually abused by male members of the family, her mother did nothing to stop it.

When the girl told her mother about the abuse, she locked her in the closet and beat her. He would burn her and pour salt into her wounds to make sure they ‘never healed properly’.

The mental abuse did not stop after the arrests as family members contacted the girl and pressured her to change her story.

His younger sister was also subjected to physical abuse at the family home in West Sussex.

After more than 20 hours, a jury in Hove found that the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had caused years of suffering to her family.

And now his grandfather, father, mother, two brothers and an uncle face long prison sentences.

The convictions included 39 counts of rape, sexual assault, cruelty, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.

According to the girl’s statement, the abuse started when she was only 6 years old and was happening constantly, even on important holidays such as Eid.

She was subjected to repeated rape by her father and brothers and sexual assault by her grandfather.

In a harrowing videotaped interview that lasted three hours, the girl described horrific details of the abuse she said she suffered from her closest family.

She explained that her mother was playing with Shopkins toys in the kitchen the day she was at work.

‘He used to touch me when my mother was out,’ the girl said.

As the recordings were played in court, his father and brothers leaned over the edge of the dock and rested their chins on their folded arms.

None of the family members showed any emotion as the girl spoke to the police through degrading sexual abuse.

The court heard Sussex Police were called after the girl, now 13, told school staff she was too scared to go home.

She said: ‘I was really scared to go back home because I knew my mum and dad would hit me hard.

‘I said I didn’t feel comfortable going home because of my parents.

‘I explained that my parents were constantly harassing me and that they had been doing this for years.’

The girl, who tried to tell her mother about the sexual abuse, said that she was beaten.

The girl said that her mother would take money gifted to her by other family members on holidays such as Eid and spend it.

‘My mother tied me with ropes and then locked me in the closet without eating for a day or two,’ he said.

Her mother told the girl to lie to the police to hide the abuse.

‘My mother always told me to say ‘no’ to the police when they asked if someone had touched me,’ he said.

During the interview, the girl rolled up her sleeve to show police interviewers the scars on her wrist and arm.

The girl said her father would burn her as punishment.

‘He used to burn me a lot with cigarettes,’ he said.

The girl said it was created to cover her scars with make-up.

Jennifer Knight KC, for the Crown, described how the girl was beaten, burned, raped and neglected.

The girl first revealed the horrors of home life when she told her teacher she was afraid to go home.

The girl said she remembered her mother hitting her for the first time when she was three years old.

‘He uses many different tools, including large metal dinner spoons, sandals and wooden “pole sticks”.’

The girl said her mother would burn her with candles and a lighter.

“He explains that his mother made sure his burns never healed properly and put salt on them to make them hurt,” Ms Knight said.

The girl would be locked in a closet with her arms and legs tied around her mouth with rope and tape.

According to Ms. Knight, it would even be left in the cupboard overnight.

The jury was told that her mother said having her as a daughter had made her life hell and she would make her life hell in return.

When the family was arrested in January this year, the girl was placed in foster care.

While being released on bail, Ms Knight said the family member had pressured the girl to change her story and told her she had made up the allegations.

‘The mother told her daughter that the whole family suffered because of what she said. Ms Knight said her grandfather was too old to be in prison for life.

In subsequent police statements, the girl said she had made up the allegations of physical abuse.

He also said he lied about being locked in his shoe closet. He said his mother always fed him, took care of him and treated him fairly.

‘However, she maintained that all the sexual things she described her grandfather, father and brothers doing to her were true and happened as she described.’

Ms Knight said the girl told police she would lie to protect her family because she loved them.

He said he wanted to protect his family in court.

‘The truth I tell will put my family in a worse situation and I don’t want that,’ he said.’

Both unidentified victims received support from specially trained officers and partner agencies.

The younger sister reported being attacked and neglected by her parents.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Harbor said: ‘This was a complex investigation that had a profound impact on two victims. In this very traumatic and distressing case, our priority remains to ensure their well-being and protect them.

‘We have worked with partner organizations to ensure the continued protection of young victims.

‘Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for Sussex Police. We encourage all victims of rape and serious sexual offenses to report their experiences to us.

‘Our officers were determined to achieve justice in this case and we are pleased with the guilty verdicts returned by the jury.

‘We urge the public not to speculate about the case online as this could jeopardize the victims’ legal right to anonymity.’

Family members were warned they faced long prison sentences if sentenced in February next year.

The 43-year-old father was found guilty of five counts of rape of a child under 13, one count of sexual assault by penetration of a child under 13, three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, encouraging or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and three counts of cruelty to a person under 16.

The 43-year-old mother was convicted of four counts of cruelty to a person under 16, two counts of false imprisonment and one count of perverting the course of justice.

The 70-year-old grandfather was convicted of one count of sexual assault by penetration of a child under 13 and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

The 23-year-old brother was found guilty of four counts of rape of a child under 13, one count of inciting or encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The 20-year-old brother was convicted of four counts of rape of a child under 13, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, causing or encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity, and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The 49-year-old uncle was found guilty of perverting the course of justice.