How often do we wonder that this is it and humankind cannot get more brutal, but we have something surpassing our words? A blowtorch is a high-intensity naked flame that is usually used for combustion and welding. The same device that was used by Ashleigh Ableman and Howard Anderson, her boyfriend, to wilfully abuse three twelve-year-olds, allegedly.
They have been charged with torture by the Dale County Sheriff’s Office. People reported that Ashleigh Ableman, a 27-year-old, and Howard Anderson, a 53-year-old, were booked on charges of ” torture/willful abuse of a child” and were sent to. Dale County Jail on October 5, 2023.
The police confirmed the same in their online records. WDHN reports, “The couple is accused of burning the children several times, and investigators say there is evidence of additional abuse.” People reported, “In Alabama, the torture and willful abuse of a child is considered a Class C felony, which, following a conviction, may carry a sentence of 1 to 10 years or a fine of as much as $15,000.”
People also reported further, “The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional information on the case. It was not immediately clear if either Ableman or Anderson had retained lawyers.” The New York Post reports that investigators say, “The couple has been accused of using a blowtorch to burn Ableman’s children — ages 4, 7, and 9 — as well as carrying out other forms of abuse.” Lieutenant Caroline Jackson spoke to WDHN and said, “This is a case of obvious torture to these children. We knew immediately that we had to intervene.” she also added that the children had suffered severe burns. The children also mentioned about the abuse in bits and pieces.
On searching their homes with a warrant, more evidence was found. It is seen that the children are all under 12 years old, and AL mentions that “Jackson said the children showed other signs of being abused.”
At the present moment, Fox 2 Now reports, “Anderson and Ableman are currently held in the Dale County Jail without bond pending a first appearance. The investigation is still ongoing.”
However, this is not the first case of such abuse. In May 2021, a man burnt one toddler’s face with a mini torch, as per the Irish Times, and the Judge said, “Brennan burnt the child for “reasons unknown”, but it was clearly as a result of his drug-taking.”
He was given a three-year sentence as the child suffered partial burns and recovered. Another couple in the USA in 2022, where a 1-year-old child succumbed to injuries and abuse by a mini torch and died a mysterious death. While such incidents have not been first child brutality, The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) takes such offenses seriously after amendments in 2010 and involve offenses of all forms on a child.
If you believe a child is being abused, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are confidential and toll-free.