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Details of shocking abuse in Czech sect case emerge
More articles on this topic: Grail MovementDetails of shocking abuse in Czech sect case emerge
On Tuesday, June 17, the trial of six people accused of torturing two boys, Ondřej, age 8, and Jakub, 10, began in Brno. Among the accused in one of the most twisted and complicated cases of child abuse in Czech history are the boys’ mother, Klára Mauerová, and their aunt Kateřina Mauerová. Four of the women’s friends also allegedly participated in the abuse: Barbora Škrlová (who’s made a series of headlines for impersonating children), her brother Jan, Hana Bašová and Jan Turek.
As the prosecution read its opening statement depicting the details of the abuse, those filling the courtroom were shocked by the details of the case.
“This is one of the worst cases I have seen in my life,” said Prague child psychiatrist Jan Nejezchleba in a phone interview later. “The boys are likely to be scarred for the rest of their lives and be in constant need of psychiatric attention.”
The accused are members of a Brno religious sect headed by Barbora Škrlová’s father, Josef Škrla. The sect loosely followed the teachings of the Grail Movement, a group founded in Germany in the late 1940s. The Brno sect was apparently attempting to have Škrlová “reborn” with a new identity as a 13-year-old named Anička, who would be adopted by Klára Mauerová. However, when Mauerová’s two sons did not get along with their new sister, they had to be “re-educated,” and the abuse began.
During the trial, Mauerová claimed that she was simply following orders. “I was controlled through text messages and e-mails sent by an Azerbaijani doctor called Andrej Zejnalov. He gave me advice on how to bring up my boys properly,” she said according to a court transcript. However, Interpol failed to locate the mysterious doctor. Authorities believe that he is likely a persona of the sect leader Škrla, who is currently being sought by police and thought to be in hiding abroad.
- Source: Ondřej Bouda, Details of shocking abuse emerge, The Prague Post, June 25, 2008 — Summarized by Religion News Blog
The torture endured by the two boys is summarily described, including an incidence which the media has referred to as cannibalism.
In March 2007, the sect succeeded in obtaining the new identity for Škrlová after misleading a judge as well as child welfare officials about her true identity.
Two months later, the group’s activities were finally discovered. On May 7, a neighbor bought a baby monitor for his newborn that was similar to the model used by Mauerová. As he tried to set it up, he accidentally tuned into images of Ondřej tied up on the floor. The neighbor alerted police, who quickly located Ondřej and Jakub, and arrested Mauerová. The boys were handed over to Klokánek, a Brno crisis shelter for children. As the investigation progressed more accomplices were arrested.
After the arrests, authorities believed Škrlová was in fact the 13-year-old she pretended to be. She was placed in the crisis shelter along with the two boys but escaped a day later. A nationwide search was organized, her true identity as a 33-year-old woman was discovered, and she was eventually arrested in Norway in January, where she had been attending school as a 13-year-old boy named Adam.
After the prosecution read its statement June 17, Mauerová broke down and admitted her guilt. “I did it in order to help everyone. I believed that if I followed the instructions, Anička could find a new family with us, Ondřej would not have to go to a mental institution and Jakub would grow up to be a proper man,” she said.
“She must have completely suppressed her motherly instincts,” Nejezchleba observed. “I cannot think under what circumstances anyone would willingly treat their own child like that.”
Mauerová’s accused accomplices, however, admit no guilt, and are instead trying to blame each other.
- Source: Ondřej Bouda, Details of shocking abuse emerge, The Prague Post, June 25, 2008 — Summarized by Religion News Blog
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