Parents from 'House of Horrors' in Oviedo Sentenced to Almost Three Years in Prison. In Asturias, a court sentenced parents to 2 years and 10 months in prison for abuse and child neglect. They have been stripped of their parental rights and ordered to pay compensation. The children are now under state care.
A high-profile case has concluded in Asturias over the years-long confinement of children in the so-called 'house of horrors' on the outskirts of Oviedo. The court sentenced the parents—a German man and a woman with dual German and US citizenship—to 2 years and 10 months in prison each. The decision was made after reviewing charges of systematic psychological abuse and family abandonment, according to the regional prosecutor's office.
The court found both parents guilty of regular psychological abuse within the family, for which they were each sentenced to 2 years and 4 months in prison, as well as of a crime related to family abandonment—an additional 6 months of incarceration. The court dropped the charge of unlawful deprivation of liberty. The parents are also stripped of custody and barred from communicating with the children for 3 years and 4 months. In addition, they must pay each of the three children €30,000 in compensation for moral damages.
Children under state protection
The three children—9-year-old twins and their 11-year-old older brother—spent nearly three and a half years in isolation in a private house on the outskirts of Oviedo. From December 2021 to April 2025 they did not leave their home or attend school. All three are now under the care of Asturias' social services, which provide them with protection and necessary assistance.
Court proceedings and prosecutor’s stance
The prosecution demanded much harsher sentences for each of the parents—up to 25 years in prison under multiple charges, including unlawful deprivation of liberty. However, the court limited itself only to the proven episodes of violence and abandonment of the family. The verdict includes not only imprisonment but also temporary revocation of parental rights and a ban on any contact with the children.
Context and other high-profile cases
In recent years, Spanish courts have increasingly dealt with cases of child abuse and domestic violence. Attention to such cases has grown following several high-profile trials, including those related to tougher penalties for crimes against minors. For comparison, other regions of the country are also seeing a rise in criminal cases involving threats to life and health, as noted in reports about new measures against traffic offenders— details on the latest changes in Spain's criminal practice.
