Utah court sentences YouTuber Ruby Frank to prison
Must serve four consecutive sentences of at least 1 year and up to 15 years.
“I shed tears for hurting their young souls” and apologized to my children.
The court sentenced a famous American parenting YouTuber and influencer to a maximum of 30 years in prison for bizarrely abusing his children.
According to foreign media such as the Associated Press on the 20th (local time), the U.S. District Court in Utah sentenced Ruby Frank (42), the operator of the YouTube channel ‘8 Passengers’, to a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 15 years in prison. He was sentenced to prison to be served consecutively. Jody Hildebrand (54), Frank’s business partner, was also sentenced to the same sentence.
The maximum sentence for Frank and Hildebrand is 60 years, but they could face up to 30 years in prison under Utah law that limits sentences for consecutive sentences. The Utah Board of Pardons and Paroles will consider their behavior while incarcerated and decide how long they will serve.
Frank, a mother of six children, has been running the YouTube channel ‘8 Passengers’ on which she appears with her family since 2015. He produces content that conveys her own parenting experiences, and has made her so popular that she at one point had 2.3 million YouTube subscribers. However, it has previously been at the center of controversy online due to its strict education method that harshly punishes children when they do something wrong.
Child abuse became known to the world when Frank’s 12-year-old son, who had been confined at home, escaped through a window and asked a neighbor for help. Two of the children were found malnourished with their hands and feet bound with tape, and Frank was arrested on charges of child abuse in August last year.
As a result of the investigation, it was revealed that this YouTuber severely abused his children to make them follow his instructions. They subjected their children to terrible corporal punishment, such as kicking them or suffocating them by dunking their heads in water. In some cases, they were made to do physical labor for hours without sufficient food and water, or were made to walk on dirt roads until their skin peeled off.
Frank repeatedly described his 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter as mentally ‘evil and possessed by something’ and insisted these punishments were all for their own good. He also taught that he could avoid punishment by being obedient.
Addressing his children in court, Frank apologized for the physical and mental abuse, saying, “I continue to cry for hurting your young souls.” He also said he would not appeal, saying he was grateful to the police and community for saving his children.
However, he claimed that his actions were under the influence of his business partner Hildebrand, saying, “My willingness to sacrifice everything for you was cleverly manipulated by something very ugly.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.