Rent Someone to Love Us: The Shocking True Story of Two Brothers Fostered into Brutality and Neglect

Synopsis

Detailing the harrowing true story of the young boy who captured the heart of the nation, this account documents the case of Terry O'Neill, who was just ten years old when he stood up in court to testify against his brutal foster parents, accused of the manslaughter of his 12-year-old brother, Dennis. Terry and his brother had been taken into care and moved through many foster homes until they came to live on the Shropshire farm owned by Reginald and Esther Gough in 1945. There they were to suffer brutal beatings and little care or love—they survived as best they could, looking out for each other until the terrible morning when Terry couldn't wake Dennis. In a time when the country was united by war and struggle, the case shocked the nation and made headlines around the world. Terry, a small figure in the courtroom, captured the hearts of mothers and families everywhere, and the public outcry against foster services led to the instigation of the first provisions to protect other vulnerable children from neglect and cruelty. The most famous playwright of the day, Agatha Christie, followed the story and based her radio play Three Blind Mice on the brothers, which she later developed into the longest-running theater play, The Mousetrap.

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