A mother accused of watching as her 48-year-old boyfriend repeatedly raped her seven-year-old daughter has been seized by police.
Brandon Sloan Hawkins, 43, from Marion County, in the US state of Tennessee, is said to have allowed the horrific sex abuse to go on for nearly a year.
A Marion County Sheriff’s Office report estimates that the terrified victim named as Ellie Mae was raped five times between December 2022 and August 2023.
Hawkins, they state, gave boyfriend William Joe Beene III, 48, permission to rape her daughter while she watched.
Beene and Hawkins have both been charged with five counts of raping a child and were due in court for a bail hearing on 20th September.
Ellie Mae is reportedly being cared for by her maternal uncle Donald Bailey who has put up a GoFundMe appeal to help his niece.
He said: “My (former) sister and her BF were arrested on 9/13/23 in TN and each charged with 5 counts of child rape against my 7 year old niece.
‘We have been awarded temporary custody pending their trial outcome and are relocating my niece to TX to live with us.
“It is our goal to pursue full permanent custody once they have been found guilty and incarcerated, hopefully for life.
“The funds requested will be used to furnish Ellie’s room to her every request, new wardrobe, school supplies, and the extensive specialized therapy we are told she is going to need
“Any extra will be placed in a college fund for her to use later.
“I have never asked anything like this before and don’t know exactly what to say other than the facts as we know them. The case is verifiable by searching any local news station in the Chattanooga TN area using the headline I am using as the page photo.
“Thank you sincerely for anything you can give to help Ellie have a fresh start at a life she deserves, free from abuse.” (sic)
At the time of writing, it had raised over USD 3,000 (GBP 2,444) out of a USD 10,000 (GBP 8,147) goal.
