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John Flanagan, 35 and his wife, Joanna, both of Netcong, were sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation for child cruelty and neglect by Judge Stephen Taylor, Daily Record reports.
The two pleaded guilty in June to keeping food from John’s children, ages 11 and 13, as well as forcing them to stand in a corner for up to eight hours as punishment for “childlike behavior,” the report says.
“It’s a difficult case for the court to comprehend, the level of abuse is disturbing to say the least,” said Taylor. “Parents have different views on how to raise children and I don’t think there’s any one way… But there is a line and I think it’s a rather bright line that should not be crossed.”
The abuse was instigated by Joanna, the children’s stepmother, after she moved into the family home years ago. John, meanwhile, did nothing to stop or prevent the ongoing abuse, the report says.
Teachers and neighbors contacted authorities after noticing the children’s malnourished appearance and exhaustion at school, the report said.
The children have since been turned over to John Flanagan’s parents, who say their grandchildren arrived showing clear signs of emotional trauma and will likely have to undergo years of therapy to cope with the extreme punishments they’ve endured.
“When the children arrived at our home, it was heartbreaking for us to see how they had changed in such a short period of time away from us,” said their grandfather. “Both children were very cold, showing no emotion toward us like they had done in the past. No hugs, no affection, just a blank stare… It will take many years of therapy to get these children the tools they need to lead a happy and satisfying life.”
Joanna, who also regularly took the children's gifts and exchanged them for cash for herself, said she was trying to raise the children with good values and that the punishments came after “extreme behavioral issues.”
“We didn’t see this as such a terrible thing then but looking back now, we realize it should’ve never happened,” she said. “My husband and I know we made some mistakes which we are very sorry for. We love the children very much and we never meant to hurt them.”
The children told detectives in a recent follow-up that they no longer live in fear and feel safe with their new guardians.
“I would like to thank Joanna,” said the couple's daughter. "Because now we are living in paradise."
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