A hidden camera revealed the horror in my home
Louise Louiselouise Evans,evans, Evans, 41,41, 41, fromfrom from Birmingham, had no reason to believe that her son was in any danger in his own home
Opening my mouth, I let out a big yawn, feeling exhausted.
It was June 2018, and I was sat on the sofa after a sleepless night.
As a single mum, taking care of two lads had taken it out of me, especially as they were both autistic and had epilepsy.
Back in 2000, at just two days old, my son Peter had started having fits.
In and out of the hospital for various tests, he was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy at a year old.
As he grew, I noticed he wasn’t developing the same as other kids –
Peter wouldn’t interact with people, and never learnt to talk.
Finally, at five years old, he was diagnosed with autism.
It was a big blow, but knowing the truth made it easier – it meant I could learn to take care of him the best I could.
He’d have fits almost every day, but I soon got used to handling them.
Growing up, Peter’s autism meant he never learnt to speak, but even though he never said a word, we had our own way of communicating.
Peter was always a happy lad, loved hanging out with his little brother Sid, now 11.
Sid also suffered with autism, epilepsy and ADHD, so while things could often get quite hectic at home, we were a happy family.
Years later, I had cameras installed in the living room.
It meant that if I needed to nip upstairs, I could keep an eye on Peter and Sid, in case one of them had a fit.
They were a huge help. But by June 2018, Peter, then 18, was becoming too much for me to handle alone.
The three of us would all sleep in the living room so I could keep watching my boys, but Peter had started to keep me and Sid awake at night. I knew I needed help.
So, with the help of a social worker, I’d hired Pearline Baugh, 62, a carer with experience with people with mental health problems.
That month, Pearline came along to help out at night – she’d stay with Peter in the living room, while Sid and I slept upstairs.
From the get-go, she was a godsend.
I trusted her with my boys right away.
She loved Peter and Sid, played games with them, and over the next few months, bought them birthday and Christmas gifts. She’d become a part of the family, and the boys adored her.
Ayear later, though, in June 2019, Peter started acting strangely.
‘Hello love,’ I greeted him one morning as I walked downstairs.
But Peter, then 20, didn’t smile back, and instead just sat on the sofa looking rather miserable.
‘Everything OK?’ I asked, ruffling his hair.
As Peter sat silently, I knew something was up.
Peter had been out of sorts for a few weeks, not wanting to communicate.
‘Have you noticed anything strange about Peter lately?’ I asked Pearline. ‘I suppose he’s a
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing
little moody lately,’ she said. ‘Maybe it’s his medication?’
I figured she was right – Peter was on a cocktail of epilepsy medication, which could sometimes have strange side effects.
Afew days later, the boys and I went round to visit my mum Pauline, 63.
As Peter and Sid sat in front of the telly, Mum and I headed to the kitchen for a chat.
While Mum made us a cuppa, I took out my phone.
I’d recently had the camera in the living room upgraded to a newer model that connected to my phone, which was ideal. The camera recorded constantly and saved video clips to my phone.
‘Maybe there’s something on here that will explain Peter’s mood,’ I said to Mum. ‘Perhaps he’s not getting enough sleep?’
I clicked on a clip taken a few nights before.
It felt strange, as if I was spying on Pearline and Peter...
But what I saw next was worth looking at.
The clip showed Pearline grabbing Peter by his pyjamas, being rough with him, and pushing him around.
‘Oh my God!’ I cried. ‘What is she doing to him?’ Clicking on another clip, I witnessed even more abuse– Pearline grabbing Peter, pushing him around violently on the bed.
The more I watched, the more obvious it became – Pearline, a woman I’d trusted, had been abusing my son while I slept upstairs.
Peter had no way of defending himself, was completely helpless – and even
worse, was unable to tell me what was going on.
No wonder he’d seemed so miserable lately.
For the next hour, Mum and I sat watching a month’s worth of video clips on my phone.
I watched in horror as Pearline slapped Peter on the face, stamped on his feet, forced him on the bed and pushed her hand on his mouth.
In one video, she woke him up, forced him out of bed and made him stand up for hours, causing sleep deprivation.
Peter was making horrible grunting noises, and I could tell he was in so much pain.
The thought of my son being hurt like that was more than I could bear.
What’s worse, the camera could only store a month’s worth of footage.
Pearline had been with us for a year – how long had this abuse been going on for?
Putting my phone away, I walked into Mum’s living room where Peter was, wrapped my arms around him.
‘Mummy’s Mummy’s so sorry,’ I said through tears. ‘I’m putting a stop to this right now.’
Peter looked at me with tears in his eyes, and I knew he understood.
Now that I knew what was going on, the abuse would come to a stop– I had to confront Pearline...
That evening, when she arrived at ours for her shift, I could barely look at her. ‘Sit Sit down,’ I said. ‘We need to talk.’
Showing her the footage, I became furious.
‘Explain Explain this to me!’ I cried.
‘What?’ What?’ she shrugged, making me even more angry.
‘You’ve been abusing my son!’ I yelled, showing her another clip.
‘I didn’t mean to hurt him,’ she insisted.
‘Grab me the way you grabbed him then,’ I said, holding out my arm. ‘I’m pretty sure that would hurt!’
Even then, Pearline didn’t offer an apology. I’d had enough. ‘Get out!’ I yelled, barely able to look at her.
I’d trusted Pearline to take care of Peter, I’d thought she was a loving, caring person. But she’d betrayed us. us The next morning, I uploaded all the footage onto a disc and marched straight to the police station to hand it in.
Afew weeks later, Pearline was arrested at her home.
In January this year, she appeared at Birmingham Crown Court, charged with illtreating an individual.
It was a nightmare having to relive my son being hurt over and over again as the horrific clips were played for the jury.
In court, Pearline claimed that she’d been restraining Peter in an attempt to stop him from injuring himself.
But I know my boy, and he wasn’t doing anything of the kind in those videos.
Judge Heidi Kubic described Peter as ‘one of the most vulnerable people in our society’, and it’s true.
He did not deserve to be treated that way.
Pearlinebaugh was sentenced to just four months in jail, and to my disgust, she only served two months before she was free to go.
She’s out there living her life, but my son will be suffering from what happened forever.
For weeks after Pearline left, Peter was unable to sleep in his bed– bed he associated it with the abuse he’d suffered.
I’ve since bought a new bed – a fresh start.
Nobody should have to worry about their kids, let alone the kids that already suffer enough.
I can’t bear the thought that this was going on under my roof whilst I was asleep.
I don’t think I will ever trust anybody again, but I am just so thankful Peter is safe now.