Two foster parents appeared in court in Rotterdam on Thursday accused of the serious physical abuse of a girl in their care.

The case came to light in May when the then 10-year-old girl was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries and in a coma after being repeatedly abused by John and Daisy van den B (38) at their home in Vlaardingen

It later emerged that the neighbours, the girl’s school and the girl herself had sounded the alarm about her treatment but that she had been left in the care of the couple.

The girl has since woken from her coma but is unable to sit up or walk unaided and can’t talk. She will need intensive medical care for the rest of her life.

Police found tie-wraps and an electric collar in the couple’s home in Vlaardingen as well as a cage in which they locked the girl. She was also made to stand naked in the garden at night, the court heard on Thursday.

The girl was placed with the family in March 2022 under the supervision of foster family group Stichting Enver and social workers from the William Schrikker Stichting.

But the two organisations failed to work together and share relevant information and did not take action when the girl said she was being abused. Two young Syrian boys had been removed from the family earlier because of abuse.

In December 2022, she stopped going to school, but there were no follow-ups, and she had no contact with her biological family, according to a report by government inspectors.

The girl’s mother was repeatedly ignored by the foster group, she told the Telegraaf this week.

“My gut feeling was that things weren’t right. I started to investigate and found photos of booze, weed and sex ads online. I told youth care but they said, ‘That’s their private affair’,” Sophie (not her real name) told the paper.

“My daughter called out for help, in school, in the street and in a supermarket. But nobody listened”.

Sophie’s younger daughter, who was also fostered by the couple and abused, now lives with her.

The hearing is expected to take three days.