The children of a California couple sentenced to life in prison for torturing them in a case that has shocked the US said they "forgive" their parents as they begged the judge for a more lenient sentence. David and Louise Turpin's 13 children were discovered malnourished, shackled to their beds and living in filthy conditions when their 17-year-old daughter escaped the home and raised the alarm last January. "I love both of my parents so much," said one of the daughters, in a statement read by her brother at a sentencing hearing on Friday. The comments were echoed by some of the other children, with one asking for a lighter sentence because "they believed everything they did was to protect us". The couple, who pleaded guilty to 14 charges including child abuse and torture in February, have been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years. Investigators said all but one of the children - the baby - was abused Credit: UPI / Barcroft Images The California "house of horrors" case, as it came to be known, shocked the US after the scale of the abuse was laid bare last year. When police entered the property in Perris, California they said it was covered in filth and the stench of human waste was overwhelming. The Turpins' offspring, who ranged from 2 - 29 years old at the time, were so severely malnourished they required urgent treatment for severe muscle wastage and neurological conditions. At least two girls have been left unable to bear children. The deeply religious couple told the court they believed God had called on them to have so many children. Louise Turpin, left, listens to her attorney, Jeff Moore, during a sentencing hearing Friday Credit: AP Mrs Turpin, 50, wept as the first public statements from some of the children, who alternately spoke of love for their parents and what they had suffered. None of the children were publicly identified. One of the girls pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying her parents believed "God put it into their hearts" to home school the 13 children but were unable to cope. Another said: "Life may have been bad but it made me strong. I fought to become the person that I am. I saw my dad change my mom. They almost changed me, but I realised what was happening. ... I'm a fighter, I'm strong and I'm shooting through life like a rocket." David Turpin, left, listens to his attorney during a sentencing hearing Friday Credit: AP Ahead of his sentence, Mr Turpin, 57, told the judge he never intended to harm his children, saying: "My homeschooling and discipline had good intentions". "I'm sorry for everything I've done to hurt my children. I love my children so much," Ms Turpin said. Judge Bernard Schwartz told the couple they had delayed their children's "emotional, mental and physical development" as he jailed them on Friday. "You have severed the ability to interact and raise the children that you created and brought into this world," he said. The court had previously heard how the children were only allowed to shower once a year and were mainly kept in their rooms except for meals, which had been reduced from three to one per day. Other than an occasional family trip to Las Vegas or Disneyland, they rarely left the home. They slept during the day and were active a few hours at night. Although the couple filed paperwork with the state to home school their children, learning was limited. "We don't really do school. I haven't finished first grade," the 17-year-old said, according to Deputy Manuel Campos. Investigators found that the toddler had not been abused, but all of the children were hospitalised after they were discovered. The seven adult children were living together and attending university in February when their parents pleaded guilty.
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