[imagesource:courtTV]

A Florida man who was accused of locking his adopted 14-year-old son in a small box in a garage was convicted of child abuse and other charges in October.

Tim Ferriter, now 48, and his wife, Tracy, were arrested last year for subjecting the child to unimaginable conditions at the family home in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tim was convicted on charges of aggravated child abuse, false imprisonment, and child neglect after it came to light that he had locked the boy in the 8-by-8-foot (2,4-metre-by-2,4-metre) structure at various times, Jupiter police have said.

The boy, identified only as “RF” for privacy reasons, said the longest was 16 to 18 hours, according to court records.

Testifying during the trial, the young victim described the confinement as “dehumanizing” and likened it to “genocide”, per Mirror:

Locked in the tiny space for up to 18 hours a day, the boy had no control over lighting or air conditioning. His living conditions were dehumanizing, with a bed consisting of just a mattress on the floor, devoid of a frame or box spring.

Image: Court TV

The abuse extended to the point where the son had to use a bucket as a toilet within the cramped room. Ferriter, documented the mistreatment using a Ring camera set up inside the room. The footage revealed shouting matches in which Ferriter berated his son for various actions. He warned the boy about rats in his room if he failed to eat his food.

The neglect charges are because the boy was given only leftovers to eat in isolation after the rest of the family had meals.

Image: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office

Ferriter’s wife, Tracy Ferriter, will face a separate trial.

Image: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office

The defence argued that Ferriter’s actions were driven by the son’s severe behavioural issues, but the son’s testimony and recordings suggested a pattern of mistreatment, including physical abuse such as slamming him into a wall by his neck and hitting him in the face. Even though the defence argued that Ferriter’s actions were a result of poor parenting choices rather than intentional harm, they found him culpable.

Tim has been sentenced to five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised probation:

Ferriter wants to be released from jail while his attorneys appeal his conviction and 5-year prison sentence. The attorneys filed a motion last week asking the judge to grant his release on bond as they work on the appeal, according to NBC affiliate WPTV.

One of the reasons to appeal is that Tim has jobs lined up:

“Mr. Ferriter has made plans for his employment upon his release so that he can provide for his family. Ferriter plans to work for Dream Outdoor Properties as a sales assistant in Jupiter, Florida,” the public document read. “If for any reason the position at Dream Outdoors does not work out, Mr. Ferriter has also been offered a sales position at Mazda of Palm Beach.”

However, an attorney claiming to represent Mazda of Palm Beach has confirmed that no job was offered to Ferriter, nor did he apply for a job. The attorney also claimed the job offer letter provided in the case was forged.

“Please be advised that the letter purportedly from Mazda of Palm Beach to Judge Howard Coates is a forgery,” the attorney told WFLA.com. “There is no record of Mr. Ferriter having ever applied for a job at Mazda of Palm Beach, let alone having been offered one.”

This guy really doesn’t want to face the music and get a taste of his own medicine, getting locked up in a jail cell as punishment for his crimes.

[sources:nbcnews&mirror&newsnationnow]