A babysitter given a home by a Bradford brother and sister was held prisoner for six weeks, tortured and forced to carry out sex acts on strangers, a Court heard.

Donna Burns was described as like a 'frightened animal' when she was freed by police who had been told of her alleged torture by a prostitute and her brother.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court heard Miss Burns, now aged 18, was held captive by prostitute Amanda Jackson, 27, and her brother David Ellwood, 20, at their home in Grange Terrace, Allerton, in August 1998.

She told the court she was:

l Forced to perform sex acts with Jackson's clients

l Locked in the cellar

l Told a syringe held at her arm was infected with AIDS

l Forced to lick up cigarette ash from a carpet

l Forced to sit naked in front of visitors to the house

l Regularly punched, whipped with a belt and awoken each morning with a kick to the head

l Attacked by Ellwood who cut out a chunk of hair with a knife and removed an eyebrow with a razor

Jackson, now of Rosebery Avenue, Shipley, and Ellwood, both deny charges of causing actual bodily harm and false imprisonment.

Jackson further denies charges of controlling a prostitute.

Ellwood has pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and admits striking Miss Burns with a belt across her back and buttocks, and punching her arms.

Jury members, who were today considering a verdict, were told by a doctor who examined Miss Burns she had 28 separate injuries on her arms, back, neck and face when she was found six weeks after moving into the house.

Summing up Mr Justice Stephen Gullick said: "This is a case involving a young girl, the vice trade and extreme violence.

"It is said Jackson and Ellwood wanted Donna Burns to work for them as a prostitute but they worried if she plied her trade on the streets she would run away.

"The Crown say she was beaten into a state of total subservience."

Miss Burns, who was 17 at the time of the alleged incidents, told the court she had moved to Bradford from her home town of Preston in spring 1998 and had been introduced to Jackson while staying at a house in Wilsden.

Giving evidence while screened from the defendants, she had said Jackson offered her a home in return for looking after the prostitute's six-year-old daughter.

After two weeks she claimed Ellwood moved in and her relationship with Jackson soured.

The jury heard the brother and sister no longer let her out of the rented house and told her if she escaped they would hunt her down and kill her.

Miss Burns alleged she was forced to perform sex acts with three men in the house.

And despite sometimes being left alone in a room with a phone and once being allowed to Bradford to register for benefits she claimed she was too terrified to defy her captors and escape.

Jackson and Ellwood admitted to police Miss Burns was hit several times but denied abusing her and holding her prisoner.

Their defence barrister suggested to the court Miss Burns only told police she was locked in the cellar after discovering she could get compensation for her alleged ordeal.

And Jackson said Miss Burns had willingly had sex with one of her "punters" at the house.

Ellwood said in his defence he disliked Miss Burns and was disgusted by her personal hygiene problems - caused by a lack of clean clothes.

But he and his sister denied holding her captive and claimed she could have left at any time.

They also denied forcing her to lick up ash - claiming she used a cloth to clean up the mess - although Ellwood did admit stamping on her hand while she was on her knees dabbing at the carpet.

Police called at the house after being contacted by 31-year-old prostitute Nichola Chapman who said she was "appalled" by Jackson and Ellwood's treatment of Miss Burns when she had visited them.

Mr Justice Gullick said: "Miss Chapman said Donna Burns was knelt crumpled in a corner and Amanda Jackson and David Ellwood were verbally abusing her, she regarded it as mental torture.

"She said Amanda Jackson told her she had got hold of this girl and was making money out of her.

"Miss Chapman said Amanda Jackson said 'why should I go out to work when I've got someone here doing it for me?'."

Mr Justice Gullick said Miss Burns had been forced to show Miss Chapman bruises on her back and she believed Jackson and Ellwood were treating their alleged victim as a 'trophy'.

Prosecutor Richard Newbury had told the court Ellwood treated Miss Burns 'like a beast'.

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