'Our dysfunctional family': Ex-wife of family judge filmed beating his daughter breaks silence as girl reveals her father 'dared her to post it onlin

-Mother Hallie Adams appeared in interview with her daughter
-Daughter Hillary says: 'I regret this is my own father'
-Texas Court-at-Law judge William Adams remains unrepentant saying 'I have done nothing wrong'
-Father is unlikely to face criminal charges
-Girl's mother apologised for horrific attack but says she was 'brainwashed and controlled'

By Daniel Miller, Louise Boyle and Lucy Buckland


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Speaking out: Hillary Adams (right), who secretly filmed her father lashing her with a belt, appeared today with her mother Hallie to reveal the abuse they faced at the hands of Judge William Adams


The mother of the disabled girl who posted a horrific video of her family judge father lashing her with a belt online, spoke for the first time today to reveal that she had been hiding a 'family secret of addiction for a long time'.

Hallie Adams appeared alongside her daughter Hillary in a TV interview in which they both described years of abuse in their 'dysfunctional' family and Hillary revealed her father had dared her to post the video online.

Police were today investigating Judge William Adams, of Rockport, Texas, after his daughter uploaded to YouTube last week a secretly-filmed video - taken in 2004 when she was 16 - of him beating her with a belt 20 times.

Today her mother, who also appeared in the video, tried to explain why she had also hit her daughter and stood aside to let her husband attack.

She said: 'I lived in an environment of addiction and dysfunction and it steadily got worse. I did leave him... but he shamed me into going back.'

Unrepentant: Judge William Adams (left) told reporters he had done 'nothing wrong' by violently beating his daughter Hillary Adams (right) after she posted footage of the horrific attack online


Hillary Adams, now 23, said she had forgiven her mother and did not regret making the video public. It has now been viewed more than a million times.

She told the Today show: 'I told him I had the video... and he dared me to post it.'

Judge William Adams remained unrepentant saying 'he had done nothing wrong except discipline his child'. The judge, who mainly presides over cases involving children, is unlikely to face criminal charges because the statute of limitations, five years for physically abusing a child, is up. The incident occurred seven years ago.

In extraordinary remarks to reporters, family law Judge William Adams denied he had done anything wrong after the YouTube video, filmed secretly in 2004 by his daughter Hillary, swept the internet.

He told local TV station KZTV10.com: 'She's mad because I've ordered her to bring the car back, in a nutshell, but yeah that's me, I lost my temper.'

The Court-at-Law Judge, from Aransas County, Texas, added: 'It was a long time ago... I really don't want to get into this right now because as you can see my life's been made very difficult over this child.'

'In my mind I have not done anything wrong other than discipline my child when she was caught stealing. I did lose my temper, I've apologized.. it looks worse than it is.'

The video, entitled 'Family law judge beats own daughter for using the internet, please spread', shows the motive for the attack was because Miss Adams, who suffers from cerebral palsy, had been caught downloading music to the computer in her bedroom.

In the footage, Judge Adams can be seen delivering around ten powerful strikes across his daughter's legs and backside. His wife then grabs the belt from him to take over, at which point he walks out only to return moments later with another belt so he can continue beating her.

On the seven-minute long clip, as his daughter begs him to stop he can be heard snarling: 'Bend over the f***ing bed.

'Lay down or I'll spank you in the f***ing face.'

In total the girl receives 20 hard lashes from her father and one from her mother.


Sickening: Texas family law Judge William Adams brutally whips his disabled daughter in footage caught on a webcam set up by the girl in 2004 when she was 16

Attack: The girl, who suffers from cerebral palsy, yelps in pain as her father beats her repeatedly with the leather belt for playing on her computer


The mother screams: 'You turn over like a 16-year-old and take it like a grown woman.'

As the child lies crying on her bed, her father shouts: 'Do you want to put some more computer games on? Are you happy disobeying your parents?

'You don't deserve to be in this f***ing house. What happened to you Hillary?'

'If I hear so much as you raising your f***ing voice to me or your mother with the wrong tone or do one little thing or you look at me f***ing wrong, I'm going to wear your f***ing a** out with this belt.'

The shocking footage appeared to have been filmed on a webcam set up in the bedroom and dates from 2004 but only became public last week on October 27.

Judge Adams said that he informed the Judicial Review board himself after seeing the video had been posted online by his daughter.

Taken when the girl was 16, Miss Adams, now 22, said she decided last week to make it public to help her father despite admitting that she may have ruined his reputation.


Little musician: Innocent Hillary Adams curtseys before a piano recital as a child

Dedication: Hillary Adams suffers from ataxic cerebral palsy which causes difficulty with balance, hand and feet movements and speech


She said: 'It had happened before and had been escalating. I set up a camera and I caught it.'

The judge's wife Hallie Adams, who it is believed is separated from him, posted on Facebook an emotional plea to her husband to end the abuse.

She wrote: 'I am praying for my daughters and me and my family to heal in all ways from emotional and physical abuse, for the current and continuing abuse of my children and me that has been ongoing to end.'

Police Chief Tim Jayroe, of Rockport, Texas, said yesterday that an investigation had been launched following phone calls from members of the public after the film swept the Internet.

It was later posted on the social news aggregate website Reddit.

Speaking to a local TV network yesterday, Miss Adams said she decided now was the time to show the secretly-filmed footage because she was tired of being harassed by her father.


Model child: Hillary Adams had previously posted a video showing herself as an extremely gifted pianist

Threats: Judge Adams jabs his finger at his disabled daughter while screaming foul abuse as she cowers in fear


She said: 'My father's harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting on for seven years.

But yesterday Miss Adams said via Twitter she was sorry she had posted the video.

She tweeted: 'I'm feeling some regret for publishing the video because to ruin my own father is heavy indeed.

'But I really want him to seek help.'

As a result of the furore, the video was being examined by the District Attorney and previous controversial judgements Judge Adams made in cases involving children have come to light.

In a court judgement last October, Judge Adams said that a child's statements 'amounted to no evidence' despite the fact the child's words had been confirmed by third party witnesses and recorded on video several times. The young person had also been interviewed by a child psychologist who believed the child.

Judge Adams also agreed with a lawyer who claimed all children are 'fantasizers' and their testimony should just be ignored.

The footage gained speed with the video trending on Twitter and being viewed 600,000 times on YouTube. A Facebook page entitled Don't Re-Elect Judge William Adams that was set up two days ago now has almost 20,000 followers.


Widespread viewing: After the video was uploaded to YouTube by Hillary Adams, it was then posted on Reddit and thousands more times across the Internet


Gathering speed: A Facebook page Don't Re-Elect Judge William Adams was set up yesterday


She added that she decided to post the footage - which she'd been 'holding onto until the right time' - after receiving 'a barrage of harassment' in a phone call from her father.

From her Twitter account, she tweeted: 'Please spread the word that my father needs
professional help and not hatred. We can offer him the tools to be a better person.

'It is my wish that people stop threatening my father and start offering professional help. That is what he really needs.'

Judge Adam's senior colleague County Judge C.H. 'Burts' Mills told MailOnline that Judge Adams was not currently at work and had not presided over any trials this week.

Miss Adams, who has suffered from ataxic cerebral palsy from birth, said her condition causes problems including difficulty with balance, shaky movements of hands or feet, and difficulty with speech.

The video has incited fury on twitter with dozens posting their disgust.

@Johnny_Ads wrote: oh my god. what a disgusting video. im shocked. poor girl - what repulsive parents. Shame on them.


Ganging up: The father and mother stand over the girl, who is hidden down the side of the bed, both brandishing belts


Take that: Judge Adams unleashes a powerful backhander as the sickening attack continues


And @eschaton added: I hope this exposure gets him sent to prison for a good, long time.

Before the identity of the man in the video was known several people took to the Internet to name and shame the judge.

One post from a J. Andre Bardin, who claims to be one of Hillary's friends, reads: 'I know in the article you say you cannot confirm the man in the video is him, but I can. It's him.

'That's his voice, that's his mannerisms, and that is his house.'

Judge Adam's wife, who is seen in the video delivering a single blow to her daughter, was said to have left the marriage after suffering emotional abuse.

She has apparently apologised for taking part in the beating and allowing it to happen.




source: dailymail