A girl has been freed in Russia after being shut away and 'tortured' for six years, allegedly by her 'respectable' foster mother.
The child, aged seven-and-a-half, was found severely malnourished and suffering from frostbite which left her unable to walk.
Neighbours described shock at discovering her existence, saying she appeared "hungry as a wolf" when they saw her rescued. Friends reportedly had no idea the family had a foster daughter, describing the other children as well looked-after.
Irina is so badly underdeveloped that she is the size of a three year old, weighing less than 20lbs. She cannot eat, talk, or walk, and is not toilet trained, although “entirely healthy” when she left an orphanage in Bryansk six years ago.
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