A British court has sentenced a former YouTuber who provided parenting advice online to up to 30 years in prison, after she admitted to physically and emotionally abusing her children.
Ruby Franke, a mother of six from Utah who offered parenting advice on a popular vlog called “8 Passengers,” convinced her two young children that they were evil, possessed, and needed to be punished to repent.
The 42-year-old and her business partner, mental health counselor Judy Hildebrandt, pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse.
In a plea deal, Frankie admitted to kicking her son while he was wearing a shoe, holding his head under water and covering his mouth and nose with her hands.
She and Hildebrant admitted that they forced the boy to work for hours in the summer heat without much food or water, causing dehydration and severe sunburn.
According to emergency call records, Frankie's 12-year-old son escaped through the window of Hildebrandt's home, in the southern Utah city of Ivins, in August and asked a neighbor to call the police.
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Robbie Franke during a court hearing in December. Photo: AP
He was thin, covered in wounds, and had duct tape wrapped around his ankles and wrists.
According to the search warrant, the boy told officers that Hildebrandt used cayenne pepper and honey to bandage his wounds.
The two women were arrested at Hildebrandt's home and each charged with six felony counts of child abuse.
Frankie pleaded guilty to four of the six charges against her and not guilty to two at a hearing in December, in a plea deal accepted by the court.
At the sentencing hearing, Frankie told her children, who did not come to see their mother in prison: “I will never stop crying about hurting your tender souls.
“My desire to sacrifice everything for you was masterfully manipulated into something so ugly. I took from you everything that was soft and safe and good.”
Judy Hildebrandt, Frank's business partner, during a court hearing in December. Photo: AP
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Hildebrandt also pleaded guilty to four charges, and two charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal. She was also sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
Each charge for both women carries a prison sentence of one to 15 years, respectively. But according to NBC News, Utah law states that the maximum total sentence for consecutive terms is 30 years.
Hildebrandt admitted to forcing Frank's youngest daughter, who was nine years old at the time, to jump into a cactus several times and run barefoot on dirt roads until her feet blistered.
The boy and girl were taken to the hospital after the arrests and were placed in state custody with two other of their siblings.
Ivins, Utah. Photo: AP
Frankie and her husband Kevin Frankie launched “8 Passengers” on YouTube in 2015 and amassed a large following while documenting their experiences raising six children.
The YouTube channel has since ended and Kevin Frank has filed for divorce.
