A fitness fanatic who forced his daughter to sign a ‘contract’ that made her promise she would never get fat has been jailed for 30 months.
The father of three, Rachid Khadla, 56, ran a dictatorial regime that destroyed the lives of his children, Karim, Amira and Hitcham.
The siblings came together to bravely speak up about the abuse they had endured at the hands of their father in Windsor, Berkshire. He was branded a tyrant as jurors heard how he subjected his children to weekly weigh-ins, as reported by BBC.
The fitness fanatic ordered his only daughter, Amira, to sign a document in 2012 which said:
‘I will never let myself get fat…I will do lots of exercise to make sure I will never get fat…even if I die.’
As a result of the abuse, Amira developed an eating disorder.
According to METRO, Amira said in a victim impact statement:
‘I was made to feel stupid and worthless; I lost my self-confidence and developed an eating disorder. Every bit of my life was affected growing up, we did not have a normal life or a happy childhood.’
Khadla would also control other aspects of his children’s lives, including access to the internet, mobile phones and house keys.
Prosecutor Alex Krikler had also told the court that Khadla threw a chair at Amira when she was just nine years old, causing a keloid on her ear which left her needing “numerous operations and treatments”.
All three siblings were also regularly physically assaulted with a wooden spoon on their hands.
Their father’s behaviour only came to light in 2019, when his teenage son told the police about how his father had strangled him and punched him in an attack.
For illustration purposes only.
His eldest son said the abuse, which started when he was five, had left him with “long-term mental health issues”. He added that the abuse led to him being bullied at school, but it “was almost enjoyable compared to the life I left at home”.
Khadla pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and three counts of cruelty to a child, as reported by BBC.
Passing sentence Judge Real said he had “effectively ruined their childhoods” through “multiple incidents of cruelty over many years”. She said, “You were a bully, and you have been unwilling to accept or acknowledge that.”
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comment section below!
Also Read: Video: Woman In China Beats Up Boss With Mop For Allegedly Sexually Harassing Her
