Judge compares children to Charles Manson, jails them after they refused to have lunch with father

'I ordered you to talk to your father. You chose not to talk to your father. You defied a direct court order... so I’m finding you guilty of civil contempt'

Justin Carissimo
Thursday 09 July 2015 20:15 BST
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A Detroit judge has sentenced three children to a juvenile detention center after they refused to have a lunch with their father.

Judge Lisa Gorcyca compared the children — 15, 10 and 9-years-old — to notorious serial killer and cult leader Charles Manson. Ms Gorcyca also ordered the kids to be held at Oakland County Children’s Village until they have a relationship or turn 18 years of age — whichever comes first.

The mother Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni and father Omer Tsimhoni have been involved in an intense divorce battle over the past six years, MyFoxDetroit.com reported. During the open court hearing, the 15-year-old said that he refuses to speak to his father because he'd previously become violent with his mother.

Roee, left, Liam, center, and Natalie Tsimhoni are currently being held at two juvenile detention centers in Detroit.

“I do apologize if I didn’t understand the rules but I do not apologize for not talking to (the father) because I have a reason for that and that’s because he’s violent and I saw him hit my mom and I’m not going to talk to him,” the court document shows.

However, Ms Gorcyca did not accept the explanation: “I ordered you to talk to your father. You chose not to talk to your father. You defied a direct court order. It’s direct contempt so I’m finding you guilty of civil contempt.”

When the young boy asked if the father would be punished for hitting his mother, Ms Gorcyca questioned his intelligence.

“You’re supposed to have a high IQ, which I’m doubting right now because of the way you act. You are so mentally messed up right now and it’s not because of your father.”

The judge defended the father saying he had no prior criminal convictions or protection orders against him. While speaking to the 9-year-old girl, the judge said: “God gave you a brain. He expects you to use it. You are not your big, defiant brother who’s living in jail. Do you want to live in jail?"

Maya Eibschitz-Tsimhoni said watching her children being taken away was like "watching them being executed."

Mr Tsimhoni spoke with the New York Observer saying he believes the children’s mother is “poisoning” their children’s minds. He also claimed that his former wife filed for divorce and refused to let him speak to the children.

“After some months there was a reconciliation. She moved to Israel, we moved all of our belongings here and then one day she suddenly disappeared and took the kids. Next I heard from her she was in Michigan — not where we had lived, in Ann Arbor, but in Oakland County. That’s when the divorce proceedings began.”

The children were taken into custody after the 24 June hearing and a motion filed by Ms Tsimhoni will be heard on 15 July.

Ms Tsimhoni was not permitted to say goodbye to her children and no members on her side of the family are permitted to visit them at the detention center.

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