Police authorities in England disclosed the images of the attic in which the mother of an autistic young man and his stepfather had him locked up between vomit and excrement.
In the hidden space, full of garbage and rubbish, was where abusers held captive Matthew Langley, of 22 years, for seven months.
Craig and Lorna Hewitt, both of 30, were found guilty of false arrest, among other charges, last week following a trial at Sheffield Royal Court.
When South Yorkshire Police officers and paramedics arrived on June 2, 2020 to the house in Sheffield, they found the boy dehydrated and only weighed about 85 pounds. In the room, there were dozens of dirty items and even flying insects. Outside the door was the key with which they secured the room.
To Matthew, who was in a “miserable” state, he was transferred to the intensive care unit of a hospital with scrapes, which indicated that he had been moving on all fours.
Additional, the victim was diagnosed with liver damage due to high sodium levels from severe dehydration.
When questioned by the Police, Craig said that his wife Lorna had found their son lying on the ground in the upper part of the house. The man alleged that they had fed Matthew and that he ate in his room.
He also stated that there were locks on the doors inside the house because the spaces accommodated students.
Regarding Matthew’s captivity, the convicted man indicated that they only locked him up at night because, supposedly, he lowered and turned off the security alarms.
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The mother did not answer the questions of the Police at the time of the arrest. But, later, he said that they stopped taking the young man to receive specialized care because Matthew supposedly did not want to go.
The couple will be sentenced next 18 February.