Foster father says he restrained Vlaardingen girl for safety, denies abuse
The trial against two foster parents accused of abusing a Vlaardingen girl to such an extent that she suffered a severe brain injury and multiple broken bones started on Thursday. Foster father Johnny van den B. (38) admitted to restraining the child, but claims he did so for her own safety. He denied many of the other allegations during the hearing, NOS reports.
“The girl’s behavior was out of control,” Van den B. said. “She kept going further and further, eventually turning on the gas at night.” The man said he was looking for solutions. “That’s where I lost touch with reality. My behavior just kept going further and further.”
The foster mother’s initial reaction was brief. “I find it very difficult,” Daisy W. (38) said. “I’m terribly sorry about what’s happening to the foster girl. I know what I did and didn’t do.”
The then-10-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital in critical condition during the early hours of 21 May 2024. She suffered a severe brain injury and multiple fractures. She had scars all over her body. The child suffered brain damage and now functions at the level of a toddler.
Van den B. and W. were arrested days after the girl was admitted to the hospital. They face charges of aggravated assault and deprivation of liberty of their foster daughter. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), they tied the child up, put her in an electrified cage, and deprived her of food and water. The OM initially also charged them with attempted manslaughter, but dropped the charge after finding insufficient evidence that they pushed the girl down the stairs.
During the hearing, the judge reviewed text messages the foster parents had sent to each other. One read, translated from Dutch: “I don’t care about them anymore. Maybe we should just get rid of the foster children. We’ll just miss €1,400.” Another: “Should I untie her? Then she can do the kitchen.”
W. often said that she couldn’t remember why the messages were saint. Van de B. said the foster girl regularly disobeyed them and that he punished her for it. He says that’s what these messages were about.
The foster father denies most of the allegations against them. “Our story has been distorted, and we were cut off during interrogations. We are being portrayed as two monsters, while the truth is different,” he said.
This case will continue in another hearing on Friday, and possibly next Tuesday if necessary. In addition to aggravated assault on the Vlaardinge girl, Van den B. and W. are also suspected of abusing three other foster children - the Vlaardingen girl’s little sister and two Syrian boys. Their cases will be tried later.
