Eunice Spry (born 28 April 1944) is a British woman from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, who was convicted of 26 charges of

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...

against children in her

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...

in April 2007.

Evidence and sentencing

Spry forced three children in her care (two foster, one adopted) to eat their own

excrement Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the ...

and vomit, rammed sticks down the children's throats, rubbed their faces with sandpaper, and locked two of them naked in a room for a month. Spry also had two other children in her care at this time, one adopted daughter and one adopted son (Christopher's younger brother), but these children did not experience the same kind of abuse that the aforementioned three did. Instead, they were treated as very young children in spite of them ageing - Christopher has spoken about how his younger brother was unable to wash himself or tie his shoelaces even as a teenager. She was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment and ordered to pay £80,000 costs. In sentencing, the judge told Spry that it was the "worst case in his 40 years practising law". In September 2008, Spry's sentence was reduced by the High Court to 12 years. On 30 May 2014 the ''Gloucestershire Echo'' indicated she would be released in June 2014.

Aftermath

Two of her foster children and her adopted daughter have published books about their childhoods: her oldest foster son, Christopher Spry, nicknamed 'Child C', published a book of the same name about his childhood living with Eunice Spry; her foster daughter, Alloma Gilbert, published ''Deliver Me from Evil''; Victoria Spry published ''Tortured'' in April 2015. In September 2020, Victoria Spry died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. Her siblings allege that residual trauma from the abuse she suffered led to her death.

References

English criminals Living people 1944 births Criminals from Gloucestershire English prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales People from Tewkesbury English people convicted of assault British people convicted of perverting the course of justice 2007 in England British Jehovah's Witnesses Torture in England {{crime-bio-stub