 In court ... Mansa Musa Muhummed, accused of starving his children, has testified that they fasted as part of their Muslim faith / Riverside Press |
- Man testifies family fasted as part of faith
- But says his 19 children weren`t deprived of food
- Doctors say children were malnourished
A SELF-described polygamist accused of torturing and starving many of his 19 children and stepchildren testified yesterday the family fasted as part of their Muslim faith but weren`t deprived of food.
During the US trial, a string of Mansa Musa Muhummed`s children and wives have described abuse, including being beaten with paddles, strung up by their feet, denied food and forced to eat vomit and faeces.
Doctors said the children were very malnourished.
A 19-year-old daughter was 1.24m tall and weighed 25.4kg.
Mr Muhummed, 55, has pleaded not guilty to torturing seven of the children, abusing 12 of them and falsely imprisoning two wives. He faces up to seven life sentences if convicted on a raft of abuse charges.
"Did you ever beat their knuckles until they bled?" defence lawyer Peter Morreale asked.
"No," said Mr Muhummed, his voice cracking.
"Did you ever beat their feet until they were swollen?" Mr Morreale asked, showing Mr Muhummed a broken boat paddle. "No," he said.
"Did you ever take a hammer and smash their toes?" he asked.
"No, I didn`t," Mr Muhummed replied, beginning to sob and covering his face with his hands.
Mr Muhummed, born as Richard Boddie, told police his Muslim faith gave him the right to take many wives.
He was arrested in 1999 after one of those women, Laura Cowan, managed to slip a 13-page letter to a postal service worker describing the alleged abuse.
His trial started last month after nine years of legal wrangling in which he changed lawyers four imes and represented himself for more than two years.
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