LINDA CLAPPISON FROM KEYINGHAM SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IN HULL
In May 2012, a harrowing case unfolded at Hull Crown Court involving Linda Clappison, a woman from Keyingham, who was convicted of subjecting her children to severe abuse and neglect over a period of six years.The court heard how her actions had inflicted lasting trauma on her two younger children, with both testifying against her in a detailed and emotionally charged trial.
Linda Clappison was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 18 months each, after being found guilty of starving, physically assaulting, and torturing her son and daughter.
The judge, Michael Mettyear, praised the bravery of the two teenagers who provided compelling testimony about their suffering.
Her son, Andrew, now 18, described how he was treated 'like a dog,' often forced to sleep in freezing rooms without bedding, which led to frostbite.
Her daughter, aged 13, recounted how her mother shaved her hair off five times in an attempt to humiliate her at school for wanting to look pretty.
Both children endured long days working at travelers' market stalls, with the girl starting at an age under 10, and were subjected to punishments for alleged misdeeds they did not commit.
The abuse was said to have persisted for six years, during which Clappison's demeanor reportedly changed 'disastrously' after a meeting with a supposed fortune teller, Liz Smith.
The court was told that her transformation from a caring, even overprotective mother, into someone obsessed and dependent on the fortune teller, had a devastating impact on her children.
Despite the allegations, Smith did not give evidence during the trial, and the judge noted that he could not definitively link Clappison’s change of character to the fortune teller, but he acknowledged that something had gone very wrong in her life and mind.
Andrew Clappison described how his mother would cook herself hot meals while feeding him and his sister with chocolate spread sandwiches and leftovers from the market traders.
He explained how she evaded calls from their schools, resulting in attendance falling below 50%, and how she deceived a social worker who visited their home.
He vividly recalled being forced to have cold baths as a form of punishment, describing the experience as the worst and comparing their treatment to that of dogs.
His sister, in a video statement, corroborated these accounts, adding that there were days when they were not given any food and that their mother had locks on the doors to keep them confined.
During the sentencing, prosecutor Mark McKone highlighted that Clappison’s older children had left home as soon as they could and had been barred from seeing Andrew and his sister until her arrest.
He described her as having 'washed her hands' of all four children, emphasizing her coldness and capacity for cruelty.
Throughout the proceedings, Clappison remained stoic, dressed in a cream sweater with a grey-and-pink diamond pattern and a blue necklace, with her hands behind her back.
She showed no visible emotion as the case was summarized, and she was taken away to serve her sentence, demonstrating a lack of remorse for her actions.
