"I had to give up all my parental rights to get him the help he needed," she said, weeping on the phone. "I had been trying to get him help for a long time and it was the only way I could get him help." After a short stint in foster care, he was sent to a Dundas-based Hatts Off group home for mentally disabled youth where he lived until he turned 18. ........ Paul Morse The Hamilton Spectator (Feb 20, 2009) The mother of a mentally disabled man says she talked to her son three times on the phone, unaware he was being held and sadistically tortured in a filthy attic apartment. Though he sounded "tired," she didn't know that her son, who has the mental capacity of a 12-to-15-year-old, was enduring an ordeal in which he was allegedly beaten with pipes, forced to eat feces and burned over much of his body with a hair straightening iron. The 22-year-old man, who cannot be identified, was near death from toxic shock when police found him Saturday in an Aurora Street triplex. "They burned his skin all over his body with a square-shaped hair flattening iron. The infection from the burns became toxic, and he was also very dehydrated," the victim's 47-year-old mother said yesterday from Fort McMurray, Alta., where she works in an oil sands project. "His nose was broken, and his eye socket smashed. His skull was fractured, he has a big wound on his head and he had teeth knocked out." The woman cannot be identified because of a Hamilton court's publication ban on her son's identity. His mother said she would talk on the phone with her son almost weekly. About three weeks ago, though, she said he phoned her from an unknown number and told her he had been beaten up but that he was staying with, and being cared for, by friends. When she called the phone number back the following two weeks, she said she didn't think anything was out of the ordinary because her son was put on the phone. On Saturday, police called her to say her son had been held captive and tortured for at least three weeks. "He had sounded really tired, but I didn't think anything of it because his seizures would leave him tired," she said. The man spent six days in hospital where doctors were able to stem the life-threatening infections, she said. Police said he was released from hospital yesterday afternoon. The victim, who has severe epilepsy, had been living on his own in Hamilton with help from a social worker, she said. He was born in Peterborough and lived with his mother near Oshawa until age 10 when he became a ward of the state. "I had to give up all my parental rights to get him the help he needed," she said, weeping on the phone. "I had been trying to get him help for a long time and it was the only way I could get him help." After a short stint in foster care, he was sent to a Dundas-based Hatts Off group home for mentally disabled youth where he lived until he turned 18. He was under supervised care in Kitchener for a short time, then decided to move on his own to Hamilton. "It makes me sick to my stomach to think that he was probably screaming and crying for help, and nobody helped him," she said, weeping during a phone interview. The woman said she is flying back to Ontario within days, when she will see her son for the first time since giving him up 12 years ago. Central division A Squad officers, who rescued the victim, quietly raised money and collected clothing for him yesterday. Family and friends will be setting up a trust fund for the man, his mother said. Police have charged Stanley Brown, 30, Nathaniel Jug, 22, Dakota Thompson, 20, and a 17-year-old male with aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, forcible confinement, and robbery. Thompson appeared briefly in a Hamilton court and was remanded to Feb. 26 for a bail hearing. House of horrors suspects charged in second attack TheSpec.com - Local - House of horrors suspects charged in second attack John Burman The Hamilton Spectator (Feb 21, 2009) Hamilton police have charged two people accused in a gruesome torture case with attacking another mentally challenged man. Superintendent Bill Stewart said officers investigating how a young man was confined for three weeks of torture in an Aurora Street triplex noticed similarities with another case involving a disabled, 25-year-old Hamiltonian. He was lured from a downtown bus stop, blinded with a noxious substance and robbed. Sergeant Terri-Lynn Collings said a 25-year-old man waiting for a bus downtown on King Street Dec. 15 was approached by a man and a woman about 2:30 p.m. who chatted him up and befriended him. The young man went for a walk with the pair, ending up on a trail in Carter Park, near Young Street and Victoria Avenue South. Collings said the man -- who had been carrying a disposable coffee cup -- threw a powdered substance police believe could have been cayenne pepper or chili powder in the young man's face, burning his eyes and temporarily blinding him. The pair then beat him to the ground, kicked and robbed him. A man and a woman in custody on charges for the Aurora Street incident have been charged in the case. Stanley Brown, 30, and Dakota Thompson, 20, both of Hamilton, were charged with robbery with a weapon, administering a noxious substance and assault causing bodily harm in the December incident. jburman@thespec.com 905-526-2469 CRIME: 'IT WAS VERY DISTURBING, VERY DISGUSTING' Disabled man tortured for weeks in Hamilton house of horrors JOE FRIESEN February 19, 2009 HAMILTON -- Insects cover the walls and a horrible stench fills the air inside the Hamilton apartment where for more than three weeks a 22-year-old man, described by police as trusting and vulnerable, was held captive, beaten, burned and sexually abused. The man was said to be near death when a chance discovery by police led to his rescue Sunday. He had allegedly been lured to this third-floor apartment in Hamilton's Corktown neighbourhood in January. The apartment was shared by three people, 30-year-old Stanley Brown, his 20-year old girlfriend Dakota Thompson, and 22-year-old Nathaniel Jug. It's not known whether they knew the victim. He was allegedly brought there, tied up and held against his will while he was robbed and abused. The only apparent motive, according to Hamilton police Superintendent Bill Stewart, was sadism. Print Edition - Section Front Enlarge Image More National Stories Has official Canada cooled to Charles? Woof? There's no recession nipping at these heels Electrocution suspected in Montreal dog's death Albertans worry as boom goes bust Dispute emerges over dolphin rescue Quebec looking to sell hydro across the border Go to the National section "He was tortured," Supt. Stewart said. "It was very disturbing, very disgusting." Supt. Stewart said the victim has a mental disability, but lives on his own. His disappearance went unreported. While he was held, his captors also allegedly forced him to turn over his banking information and withdrew money from his account. It was only when police responded to a 911 call made by the alleged kidnappers that they stumbled upon the larger crime. Amiee Morin, who lives in the apartment downstairs, was at home Friday night when she heard loud thumping noises coming from above. "I heard 'Help, Help. Ow, that hurts,' " she said yesterday. She yelled through the door, asking them to keep quiet, but they didn't take kindly to her request. "He threatened to tie me up and beat me," she said. It was a far cry from the neighbours who seemed nice enough when they moved in last summer. The group even shared drinks on New Year's Eve, but the upstairs neighbours stopped coming around in January, Ms. Morin said. Mr. Brown and Ms. Thompson had recently tried to look more Goth, dying their hair black, she said, but their look wasn't as authentic as that of their friend, Mr. Jug. Mr. Brown eventually apologized for the noise, explaining that he and his friend were in training to join the Ultimate Fighting Championships martial arts circuit. This seemed preposterous to Ms. Morin, who described them as small. When her ex-boyfriend got home he was furious to hear of the threats, and stormed upstairs. He broke a window and the police were called. When they arrived the officers asked permission to enter the apartment, where they found the 22-year-old victim in obvious distress, hidden away inside a closet or crawl space. Doctors later said that his blood was so toxic that he was days away from death, but police could not explain the source of that toxicity. He also had burns and wounds covering much of his body, as well as a fractured skull. He is recovering in hospital and has been reunited with his family. Supt. Stewart said police seized some of the devices alleged to have been used in his torture, but would not elaborate. Neighbours said a police forensic team emerged carrying dozens of brown evidence bags over the weekend but couldn't say what they contained. The apartment was still filthy yesterday, as old clothes and a dirty mattress covered the floor. Empty bottles of whisky and a Winnie the Pooh doll were among the odd assortment of possessions sprinkled throughout the space, as were old videos, including Scream 3, Ace Ventura and Star Trek: Nemesis, foot powder, bleach and hydrogen peroxide. A dog-eared notebook contained a list of house rules - do not touch anything without permission; no overnights; checkout time is 11 p.m.; if you visit you come alone - and a set of special "toking rules," which said, "Do not ask. If we are going to share, you will know." The linoleum floors were barely visible beneath the dirt and detritus, and the blades of the ceiling fan were encased in dust. Landlord Lindsay Galbraith said he was surprised by the mess, but left his tenants alone because they paid rent on time. "I knew they were odd," he said. "Personally, I found them intriguing, fascinating, interesting. I think they were eccentric. I think they were into the Goth thing. They weren't maniacal kids." Dorian Pollard, a neighbour who lives on the first floor, said he doesn't think any of the three were employed, and that they got their income from a single disability cheque. They came and went at odd hours, climbing the rickety fire escape outside his apartment. "I never expected this. When I first met them I thought they were clean-cut kids," he said. He described them as being "almost preppy." They had expensive haircuts that were constantly changing, and always dressed well. "This just makes me sick. I've been nauseous ever since," he said. Mr. Brown, Ms. Thompson and Mr. Jug, along with a 17-year-old young man who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, are charged with aggravated assault, forcible confinement, aggravated sexual assault, robbery and threatening death. Disabled torture victim sexually assaulted, police say Ron Albertson, The Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. Photos by Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. 1 Ron Albertson, The Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. 2 Photos by Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. 3 Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. 4 Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. 5 Ron Albertson, the Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was abducted and tortured for three weeks. Ron Albertson, The Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say a disabled man was ... Ron Albertson, The Hamilton Spectator A look at the apartment where police say aman was abducted and tortured for three weeks. February 18, 2009 Paul Morse The Hamilton Spectator House of Horrors slideshow A young, disabled Hamilton man was only days from death when police rescued him from what they say is one of the worst cases of sadistic torture in the city's history. Police arrested a 17-year-old Wednesday night, bringing to four those accused of abusing the victim. As well as being tortured, investigators say the man was sexually assaulted and robbed. Police say he was forced to hand over his bank card and money was taken while he was imprisoned. Police unexpectedly discovered the 22-year-old man suffering from life-threatening injuries early Saturday after officers went twice to a red brick triplex on Aurora Street. It was the alleged captors themselves who had called police for an unrelated dispute with the downstairs tenants. It was on the second visit, when police entered the apartment, that the victim was discovered. The victim had been held captive and tortured for close to a month since being lured to the squalid third-storey attic apartment at the Aurora Street address, near Charlton, police said yesterday. "In 32 years of policing, these are the most disturbing and disgusting acts I have ever seen," Hamilton police Superintendent Bill Stewart said yesterday. He would not discuss the nature of the victim's disability, but said he "is a very trusting individual." The victim's skull was fractured from repeated beatings with several hard objects and he was deliberately burned and beaten over much of his body, Stewart said. The man, who lives alone, had not been reported missing to police. "The motive can be best described as sadistic in nature," Stewart said. Along with the other severe injuries, "his blood was so toxified that it could have resulted in his death in a very short period of time," the superintendent said. Stewart would not reveal the toxic substance but said it was not alcohol, drug or chemical in nature. Neighbours had said earlier that the tenants were known to toss garbage and feces out the window. Police first went to the triplex around 7:30 p.m. Friday after a verbal altercation between the third- and second-floor tenants, said Aimee Morin, 26, who lives on the second floor. "I heard all this banging, thumping and loud music, and then I heard, 'Help, help, ow, that hurts,'” Morin said. She said she and her ex-boyfriend Joe Pongrac complained to their upstairs neighbours and ended up getting into an argument that led to the third-floor tenants calling police. Officers showed up and calmed things down, but did not go inside the top-floor apartment, she said. One of the upstairs tenants "came down and apologized and said the noise was them training for the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)," Morin said. Around 4:40 a.m. Saturday, police were again called back to the triplex by the third-floor tenants when the dispute reignited. This time, though, police asked to go inside the attic flat. "The officers went to speak to a person who answered the door and they happened to ask if there were other people present," Stewart said. "They were permitted entry and located the person inside the apartment and quickly realized he has some significant injuries." The victim "was not in plain view," Stewart said. His abusers allegedly kept him tied up for long periods while they were in the apartment and away from it, he said. Police said bank information was taken from the victim and money withdrawn from his account. Stewart said it is not clear yet if the man tried to escape, "but I can tell you that he feared for his life during the ordeal." The man remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries, but his condition is improving. Police have charged Stanley Brown, 30, Nathaniel Jug, 22, and Dakota Thompson, 20, with one count each of aggravated assault and forcible confinement. Thompson appeared for a bail hearing today and was put over until tomorrow because she has not yet retained a lawyer. Brown and Jug were to appear late this afternoon. It's not clear if the youth will appear today. pmorse@thespec.com 905-526-3434 http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/515505 ( nothing changes, the CAS lawyers will try and sue the spec for doing the whole story, the follow up, of this young disabled man, was once and in care, parental RIGHTS taken, and once aged out, left to on his own, what happened in the Hatts off group home? is it another house of horrors, lets ask the others that have aged out! Forum of Canadacourtwatch.com