Mother and partner hit teenage girl with hammer

♦ A mother and stepmother have been found guilty of starving their teenage daughter and hitting her with a hammer for every item of food she “stole”.

Deborah Harrison, 37, and her partner Jennifer Harrison, 30, hit the victim 34 times after finding 34 sweet wrappers in her room. The girl had bruises all over her head and body when she was examined by a doctor. She told the court that she was regularly beaten with hairbrushes and a television remote control. The victim, who was 16 at the time of the hammer attack, told Hull Crown Court that she was also forced to cut the lawn with scissors at night and made to sleep with dogs.

The parents, from Bempton, E Yorks, denied any wrongdoing but a jury found them guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The women were told they will face “significant” jail terms when they are sentenced on Friday.