A fitness-obsessed British man had his daughter sign a lifelong ‘contract’ promising never to get fat – and weighed her almost daily while first ruling his family with an iron, according to a report.
Rachid Khadla, 56, has been charged with child abuse and assault over his alleged treatment of his now-grown daughter, Amira, and sons, Hicham and Karim, Hyde News & Pictures reported.
“I, Amira Khadla, will never let myself get fat. I will exercise a lot to make sure I never get fat, even until I die, ”Khadla’s daughter wrote in her 2012 agreement, a court heard.
Amira’s dominant father is also said to have attacked her – hitting her regularly with a spoon, punching her in the chest, and even throwing a chair at her once – and decided what to wear, who to see, and what to watch on TV , according to the news agency.
The fitness buff from Windsor, just outside London, was always consumed by his kids’ girths and weighed them to make sure they didn’t put on the pounds, he said.
He also strangled his now 18-year-old son and hit the children with spoons if he thought they had misbehaved, the court heard Tuesday.
Khadla’s 27-year-old wife, Sarah, did not intervene in the abuse, but supported his prosecution, saying he was “short-tempered,” the report said.
The father was reportedly “aggravated” by his youngest son, Hicham, who had learning difficulties. In October 2019, he allegedly attacked the boy for being too slow when he was cleaning his sister’s room.
“He hit Hicham several times in the chest and then pushed him onto his sister’s bed,” said prosecutor Alex Krikler.
“He then put both hands around his neck and strangled him for a long time – five to 10 seconds – before pulling him up, slapping him in the chest and running away,” he said. Hicham had tried to say ‘stop’ but couldn’t say anything.
“He couldn’t breathe and although the marks left by the strangulation were relatively minor, the incident was extremely frightening,” added Krikler.
Hicham told his mother the next day that his father had “crossed a line” and then shared his ordeal with classmates as the family celebrated his sister’s graduation.
The boys told their teachers what Hicham had told them and the staff informed the police, who arrested Khadla that night.
“For the smallest offenses at home, he said he would regularly get ‘the spoon’,” Krikler told the jury.
His father forced him to reach out and hit his palms with a wooden spoon. He also described how his father pushed and hit him and occasionally threw things at him, ”he said.
The abuse was not only physical. The defendant would also threaten with extreme violence that he would “splash his brain on the ceiling and kill him.” His father would tell him he was weak, ”Krikler added.
The eldest son, Karim, now 26, talked about “the control, the temper and the violence” – and how at 15 he was beaten in the head so forcefully that he was knocked over.
Karim left the house and cut all ties with the family before the allegations came out.
Krikler said the mother “describes the control he exercised over the family and how he was short-tempered and would get angry for no reason. She describes that anger as directed at the children. “
Khadla claimed he attacked Hicham in “self-defense” and said he was afraid of his enraged son, so he tried to restrain him.
“When asked how he would discipline his children, he said that when they were younger, he would hit them in the bottom, but further said he never hit them or physically chastised them,” said Kirkler.
“He denied threatening or physically hurting his children, said he sometimes screamed, but that was it. He denied control over his children. “
Khadla is facing three cases of child abuse and two cases of assault resulting in actual physical harm.