Parents get 3 years for abusing boy, 8, kept locked in chest

The court in Zutphen convicted a 35-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman from Germany for abusing and neglecting their then 8-year-old son at a camp site in Winterswijk. They were each sentenced to three years in prison, NU.nl reports.

The parents assaulted and starved the boy at the Winterswijk campsite between June 1st and July 22nd last year. He was tied up with tiewraps and kept locked in a chest, for hours or even days at a time. The boy's abuse came to light last summer when he was caught stealing food from the fridge of another campsite visitor. Examination showed that the boy was starved for more than a month, was repeatedly tied up by his hands and feet, and was locked up in a box for days.

The Public Prosecutor demanded five years in prison against them.

The two Germans were previously convicted of child abuse in Germany in 2012. Both were then sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. The man already served this sentence, the woman hasn't.