A DAD who inflicted a brutal regime of sadistic, violent punishments and mental torment against his two children has been jailed.

His partner - the children’s stepmother - was spared jail after she ‘turned a blind eye’ to the cruelty, which involved violence, emotional abuse as well as cruel punishments.

As a result of the ordeal – which included head shaving, pouring vinegar into wounds and beatings with whips and belts – the children said they were left suffering flashbacks and made to feel ‘less than an animal.’

Shane O’Brien, 54, and Denise O’Brien, 49, both of Wyvern Road, Chepstow, had already admitted two counts of child cruelty.

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Outlining the case at Oxford Crown Court today prosecutor Alexandra Bull said the crimes involved ‘physical abuse, sadistic punishment, emotional abuse and neglect.’

She said the ill treatment all took place between July 2014 and December 2016, involving two child victims in the Berkshire and Oxfordshire area. The two siblings – who are brother and sister and now both adults – recalled numerous episodes of cruelty, carried out by their father Shane.

Among those instances they described being forced to hold up placards with the word ‘liar’ written on it, and endured beatings with a whip and a belt.

The daughter was made to write ‘I am a liar, I am a stealer’ 1,000 times on a piece of paper and was later ‘whipped’ by Shane.

In one episode of violence Shane repeatedly ‘bashed’ his son’s head against a wall after he downloaded games onto a phone while the couple were away.

On another occasion the boy had his head shaved and was told ‘it was a sign he was a liar.’ The daughter also had her hair cut while she begged them to stop, an ordeal which she said made her feel ‘worthless.’

The boy was also refused food and not allowed to use the toilet on occasion, having to using a bottle in his room.

In a victim personal statement, he said he felt like he was ‘less than an animal’ during the abuse.

Both children began to self-harm and Shane poured vinegar onto their wounds and said ‘that will be a lesson not to self-harm again.’

A letter was also drawn up, purporting to be from a doctor at the high security Broadmoor Hospital, claiming the child could be sent there.

The couple also forbid the children from having friends and deleted numbers from their phones.

On one occasion the girl’s hand was bleeding heavily from a dog bite but they wouldn’t go see a doctor in case the dog would be put down.

At police interview following the allegations Shane called his son a ‘manipulative and a pathological liar’ but both later admitted their role in the offences.

In mitigation Shane’s defence team said he had ‘struggled to cope’ with ‘challenging behaviour.’ Denise’s defence barrister said the family did have some good times together.

Sentencing Judge Nigel Daly said the cruelty involved ‘gratuitous degradation’ as well as ‘significant force used.’

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Shane was jailed for 26 months.

Denise was handed an eight-month jail term, suspended for 18 months. She must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days.