Victim of sadistic carer who made children drink bleach to receive five-figure settlement

• This article contains detail of child cruelty.

A victim of an abusive foster carer who made children drink bleach and take scalding hot showers has been awarded a five-figure payout for his ordeal.

Sandra Clayton was jailed in 2017 for a catalogue of abuse against her foster children that stretched from the 1970s to the early 1990s.

The man, whose identity is protected, received the settlement from Essex County Council as a result of the physical and emotional abuse he suffered as a child.

He was one of several children who suffered abuse by Clayton, who was jailed for four years after admitting three counts of cruelty to a person under age 16.

During her trial in 2017 the court heard how she forced soiled underwear into two of her foster children’s mouths as a punishment.

The court also heard she would make her foster children go out into the cold, subject them to beatings, make them sleep on the floor, and would slash their feet with a knife if they tried to get away from her.

She also played a sadistic game where she would grab the children by their limbs and spin them around and then let go, causing injuries as they collided with furniture and walls.

At times Clayton would make the children fight each other for food.

When she was unable to hide the children's injuries, she would force them to lie to authorities so that she could avoid blame.

The man who was awarded the settlement said he was regularly pushed down the stairs, bitten on the face, forced to stand naked while items were thrown at him, coerced to harm himself, and kept in a coal bunker for extended periods of time.

He was also chased around the house naked by a dog trained to bite his ankles, and force-fed food until he would vomit and was then made to eat the vomit.

He was once hospitalised for eight days after being launched across the room.

The man's lawyer Andrew Lord, of Leigh Day, said: “I am pleased that we were able to reach a significant settlement for my client, who has been through the most horrific abuse at a young age at the hands of someone who was supposed to be caring for him.

"This had an enormous impact on my client who was completely let down by both his foster carer and Essex County Council.

“While no amount of money can undo what Clayton did, I hope that the payment of compensation, alongside the criminal conviction, goes some way towards holding those involved accountable and helping my client to feel a sense of closure.”

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “The person in this case has a right to privacy which will be respected.

“In any case ECC will always work to achieve an amicable resolution.”

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