In Utah, USA, a resident who had a YouTube channel where she gave parenting advice was sentenced to prison for child abuse. Ruby Franke She was arrested last year along with her friend Jodi Nan Hildebrandt after Franke's son fled to seek help from neighbors. Another ten-year-old daughter of Franke was also found malnourished in Hildebrandt's house. Both women who pleaded guilty received four prison sentences of 1 to 15 years each, to be served consecutively.
What was the YouTuber's mother's conviction for child abuse like?
The Utah Attorney General, Eric Clarke, described the environment in which Franke's children lived as a concentration camp and called Franke a significant threat. According to Clarke, the children were denied food, water, beds and entertainment. In court, the convicted citizen apologized to her children and expressed that she was so confused that she could not distinguish right from wrong.
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The women were arrested after Franke's 12-year-old son ran away to get help. The child was in a deplorable condition. Due to the severity of his injuries and malnutrition, he was taken to the hospital. Franke's 10-year-old daughter also received medical care. The children have now been taken into care Family and Children Services.
Ruby Franke, a 42-year-old mother of six, pleaded guilty in December to four counts of child abuse. Photo: AFP
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From a child education advisor to a person convicted of child abuse
Franke became known on YouTube with her channel “8 Passengers,” in which she shared her experiences raising her six children. The channel was deactivated in 2022 after Franke separated from her husband. She had been criticized for her parenting methods, such as making her son sleep in a bean bag as punishment and withholding food from the children.
The police files show that Franke's children were severely abused. Hildebrandt admitted in a plea agreement that he had tortured the children or was aware of the abuse. The convicted woman's ex-husband, Kevin Franke, called for the maximum sentence before the hearing, calling the abuse “horrible and inhumane.”
Help channels
If you know or are affected by someone who is affected by or involved in family or sexual violence, you can contact the hotline 100 free of charge. Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populationswhich has a team specializing in “providing information, guidance and emotional support.”
In addition, the emergency number 100 is authorized to forward the most serious cases of family or sexual violence to the women's emergency call centers or the emergency service. This service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year (including holidays).