Father guilty of abusing children

The court told was told Eames had made the family prisoners

A man described as a Jekyll and Hyde character, has been found guilty of 16 counts of cruelty against his own children in Leicestershire.

Terence Eames, 53, of Woodville Road, Hartshorne, deny a total of 26 abuse-related charges between 1987 and 2000, Leicester Crown Court heard.

These included holding his son's hand against a hot radiator and hitting them around the head.

Eames was cleared of 10 other charges, including assaulting his wife.

He was also found guilty of locking his children in a room for prolonged periods of time.

Conspiracy claim

The latest verdicts came after the jury found Eames guilty on Friday of hitting one child around the head and dangling another over a staircase by his ankles.

His ex-wife, who cannot be named, described him as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character and a "control freak", and told the court she and their children were virtual prisoners in their home.

Eames was also cleared of charges relating to shooting his daughter with a BB gun, locking her in a toy box and releasing gas into a room the children were confined in.

He had claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in December and the judge warned he faced a substantial jail term.