A HUSBAND and wife who subjected their teenage daughters to a campaign of physical abuse have been jailed.
The couple, who legally cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the victims, used weapons including belts and a coat hanger to discipline the two girls.
On one occasion, a glass was thrown and hit one of the girls, leaving a scar to her face.
Now the couple, both in their thirties, have been jailed for a total of almost six years following their sentencing at Southampton Crown Court.
The court heard how the mother subjected the two teenagers to the “sustained and prolonged” abuse between 2014 and February 2018.
The court was told how the mother used weapons, including belts and a coat hanger.
Meanwhile, the father subjected the girls to abuse, also involving belts, between February and April last year.
The court heard one of the incidents took place in the hallway of their Southampton accommodation and was recorded on CCTV.
Their abuse was also brought to light by bruises and marks on the two girls, which were noticed by school officials.
Both girls and the couple’s two other children have since been taken into care.
In a victim impact statement, read out in court, one of the girls said the abuse had left her “unable to trust people”.
She said: “What my dad did has really impacted me. I can’t trust people because when I trusted my dad he broke it.
“He broke the only bond I will ever have between a father and a daughter.”
In her victim impact statement, also read out in court, the other girl said: “My family has been completely split apart as a result of this.
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The father, who pleaded guilty to guilty to one count of child abuse and was found guilty of another two multiple incident counts of child abuse, was sentenced to three years in prison.
The mother, who pleaded guilty to two multiple incident counts of child abuse, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
In sentencing, Judge Peter Henry said: “This was quite continuous abuse over a significant period of time.
“What’s quite striking is that, when giving evidence, each child seemed to think it was their fault, but it wasn’t.
“It’s clear that you a period of time you were not able to deal with teenage children and the inevitable problems they can cause for parents.”
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