A Belgian court on Wednesday sentenced a woman to seven years in prison after rejecting claims that early menopause, stress, and a household overrun by 60 chihuahuas explained months of sadistic abuse that resulted in her husband being locked up and tortured for weeks on end.

The court heard how the 48-year-old Belgian male victim escaped from his home in Grobbendonk on March 18, 2025, barefoot and wearing only underwear and a T-shirt, when he fled a dog kennel where his wife, Anna V., had locked him. He staggered to a nearby home and knocked on a kitchen window, begging for help.

“He had used his last bit of strength to escape. The man was completely disoriented,” public prosecutor Hanne Hendrickx told the court as cited by HLN, explaining that a passing cyclist recognized the victim as his neighbor and helped police establish his identity.

According to the prosecution, the man had been regularly beaten, starved, humiliated, and imprisoned. “Photos show that at the beginning of the relationship, he was a strong, healthy man. In photos taken after the fact, we see a burned skeleton. There wasn’t much left of the victim,” Hendrickx said.

The defendant initially told police and emergency services that her husband was depressed and harming himself, a claim briefly accepted. She was even allowed to sit with him in the ambulance until a paramedic heard her whisper, “You have to be quiet,” and noticed the victim becoming visibly anxious. She was then removed from the ambulance and arrested.

The couple had only married in August 2024.

Investigators concluded the man had been beaten with fists and household objects, including a chair and a cooking pot, and was kicked when he fell to the floor. He was forced to clean the excrement of around 60 chihuahuas using bleach, but only barefoot because his wife had hidden his shoes, causing corrosive wounds. A camera had been installed to ensure he worked continuously.

According to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the man was repeatedly deprived of his liberty, locked several times in a garden shed and a dog kennel, and once in a dark cellar without food or water. “Fourteen days before his escape, she also doused him with boiling water because two dogs had died and, according to her, it was his fault,” Hendrickx said.

Video evidence found during the investigation showed the defendant filming and laughing at her husband’s humiliation. Freddy Mols, the victim’s lawyer, told the court, “My client narrowly escaped death. He endured terrible things for a year. He was found suffering from dehydration and malnutrition, and was completely disoriented.

Prosecutors demanded an eight-year sentence, and while defense lawyer Romy Geysen called it “by far the most horrific case I’ve ever received,” she argued that her client’s mental state had changed since the abuse. She cited financial stress, the growing number of dogs in the household, and hormonal changes. “Moreover, she was in early menopause, which meant she couldn’t control herself,” Geysen told the court.

Speaking briefly, the defendant said, “I was so tired. I couldn’t handle it anymore, and I took it out on him. I now realize what I did to him. That should never have happened.”

The judge dismissed the mitigating remarks and sentenced the defendant to seven years in prison. She had also previously been fined €3,600 for the mistreatment of the dogs.

The victim’s lawyer has also requested €10,000 in damages to help with any therapy that may be needed in the future.