www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-2322482631 July 2013
Daniel Pelka: Sibling hid food for starved boy
Daniel Pelka
There were no toys and no pictures in Daniel Pelka's room, police said
Four-year-old Daniel Pelka's life was one of such "extreme cruelty" in the run up to his death that a sibling felt compelled to hide food for him while he was being starved by his parents.
Daniel was denied food, force-fed salt, held under the water in a bath until unconscious and regularly beaten.
He was also imprisoned in a box-room and died alone in the dark from a head injury in March 2012.
Despite appearing to be a happy little boy when he started school in Coventry, teachers saw Daniel become "thinner and thinner in front of their eyes" and said his uniform was "hanging off him".
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court heard he looked like a concentration camp victim; his lunchbox contained half a sandwich and he tried to eat food from school bins.
'Bashed against wall'
His mother, Magdelena Luczak, 27, and her partner, Mariusz Krezolek, 33, have been convicted of murdering Daniel, who died in Coventry last year.
At the time of his death, Daniel weighed just over a stone and a half - and had suffered a catalogue of injuries.
Daniel Pelka's injuries
The court was told how the sibling would often ask for extra food to give to Daniel.
"I had my money I got from the bank. I found a card on the floor. I used to go to a shop with my brother and used to buy things for him that [Luczak] couldn't see," the child said.
"I had to make food for him, I had to clean him up."
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The tragic life of Daniel Pelka
Daniel Pelka
How Daniel's sibling was forced to hide food for the starving boy
Video: The wretched life of Daniel Pelka
Why were teachers' concerns for Daniel not acted upon?
The sibling, who cannot be identified, also told the court about Daniel being held under the water in a bath at the family home.
"[Krezolek] bashed Daniel's head against the bath. He pushed him.
"[Luczak] was holding him under water. [Krezolek] told me not to tell anybody. Daniel cried. They didn't do anything," the child added.
The child also said Daniel was not allowed to leave his bedroom to use the toilet and was expected to defecate in his bed.
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