Jailed, stepfather who pretended to be Freddy Krueger
He hid in loft and scratched boys’ bedroom ceiling
A ‘MONSTER’ who terrorised his former girlfriends’ young sons by pretending to be Freddy Krueger was yesterday jailed for five years.
David Lamb, 47, would climb into the loft above their bedrooms late at night and scratch on the ceilings, claiming he was the serial killer from the nightmare on elm Street films.
The ‘sadistic’ crimes took place more than two decades ago, but only came to light when the children, now all adults, went to police in 2013.
Yesterday Lamb was convicted of child cruelty after a jury heard how he would play music from Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds late at night to terrify the children in their beds.
Lamb once bundled a boy into his car boot and drove him around in order to give him a fright. He also beat him with a sweeping brush.
And in a series of sick pranks, he dangled two children from a door frame by their clothing so they could barely breathe. He also allowed his pet lizards to bite them.
One five-year-old was locked in a cupboard and then taped to a large toy car which was repeatedly rammed against a wall while he was screaming with fear.
Preston Crown Court heard the three victims were the children of two former girlfriends of Lamb. One boy was targeted because of his dark skin colour and would routinely be called ‘ P** i’ and ‘ black bastard’. Lamb would also come into his bedroom with a pillowcase over his head to scare him.
Julian Taylor, prosecuting, said: ‘He would climb into the loft and scratch at the ceiling and pretend to be Freddy Krueger. On one occasion the defendant fell from the loft area on to the complainant’s bed.’
That boy moved in with foster parents but Lamb then began a relationship with Denise Foley, mother to two boys, aged seven and five.
The brothers were subjected to Lamb’s sadistic ways at their home in Accrington, Lancashire, while their mother was at work.
Mr Taylor said: ‘ The defendant would lock them in cupboards under the stairs in the dark. Music – The War of the Worlds – was played loudly to scare them at night.
‘He used to own lizards and would make them bite fingers. Both children were left outside in the cold.’
The three boys all suffered in silence for up to two decades before going to police in Lancashire in 2013 when they were in their 20s.
In a statement, one of the boys told the court he had turned to drugs and believed Lamb had caused him harm.
He added: ‘David Lamb hurt and scared me so much. He has ruined my life.’
Another boy said Lamb had been the first father figure in his life but had started ‘physically hurting and torturing him’ on a regular basis. He said he became depressed in his teens and told the court he felt ‘very lonely’ growing up and also was made to feel ‘worthless.’
Mr Taylor added: ‘The defendant would call him dumb, refer to him as a duffer. The defendant would hit him. He is quite nervous in public places. Day-to- day things targeted his memories and he gets distressed about things to do with his children.’
Lamb was arrested and bailed but failed to turn up for his trial. He was found hiding under the bed of his latest girlfriend – who was pregnant with his child.
Passing sentence, Judge Stuart Baker told Lamb: ‘You were taking pleasure in terrifying all three children.
‘This was not just a game when a moment of fear would be dispelled by a loving parent. This was deliberately making these three children fearful and terrified.
‘They were very young and very vulnerable and to who you owed a duty of trust. The term sadistic is not an exaggeration or overstatement for you.
‘ They suffered psychological harm at your hands.’
Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Foley said: ‘I hadn’t got a clue what was going on but he truly is a monster who should be kept away from children. He is a monster and should be locked away for good.’
‘They suffered psychological harm’