Casefile True Crime - Case 223: The Kuřim Case

Episode Date: September 17, 2022

*** Warning: This case involves a child victim *** When Czech Republic man Eduard Trdý inadvertently intercepted the video feed of his neighbour’s security camera in May 2007, he was so alarmed by the footage that he contacted the police... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Holly Boyd Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon This episode's sponsors: NextEvo Naturals – Get 25% off your first order of $40 or more with promo code ‘CASEFILE’ Allbirds – Discover your perfect pair of sneakers SimpliSafe – Claim a FREE indoor security camera and 20% off with interactive monitoring Noom Weight – The last weight loss program you’ll need. Start your trial today BetterHelp – Get 10% off your first month of professional counselling with a licensed therapist ButcherBox – Get FREE 2lb of free-range organic chicken breasts in every order for a whole year with promo code ‘CASEFILE’ For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-223-the-kurim-case

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Today's episode involves crimes against children and won't be suitable for all listeners. Edvard Tradi lived in the Czech Republic town of Kurim. On Monday May 7 2007, Eduard was home alone making some last minute preparations. His partner had recently given birth and Eduard

was trying to set up a baby monitor before she and their baby daughter were discharged from hospital. At around 11am, Eduard connected the device to his television. He scanned the channel selector, waiting for the live feed from the monitor's video camera to show on the screen. An image did appear, but it wasn't coming from inside Edward's home. The baby monitor had intercepted another camera's signal. The black and white feed on the television showed a young boy who Edward didn't know. He appeared content as he sat naked on a concrete floor playing with a roll of duct tape. Believing the baby monitor had a technical fault, Edward set it aside and carried on with his day.

He returned to it later to try again, but it intercepted the same feed from earlier. This time, the naked boy was being fed torn pieces of bread by a woman whose face was out of view. Edouard heard her say, here you go, but didn't recognise her voice. It dawned on Edouard that the boy's hands were tied behind his back. Edouard told his partner what he'd seen and they decided that they should notify the authorities. Before doing so, Edou Edward switched on the baby monitor and TV to assess the situation one last time. This time, the boy was clearly hog-tired and licking what appeared to be vomit from the floor. In the summer of 2005, 28-year-old Klara Mauerova was working at a youth centre in the Czech city of Brno.

The centre was run by her older sister, Katerina, who approached Klara one day to discuss a child who had just arrived from Norway. Her name was Anichka. She was around 12 years old, sickly, and in need of special foster care. Katerina believed her sister would make an ideal foster mother for the girl. It wasn't an unusual thought. Klara Malarova was successfully raising her sons, 7-year-old Yakub and 5-year-old Andrei, as a single mother. The boys attended the same youth centre where their mother worked, participating in games, sporting activities and language studies. Energetic and sporty, Andrei loved hockey.

His older brother, Yakub, played basketball as well as the flute. He was an avid reader who was especially fond of dinosaurs. Clara's other sister, Gabriela, spent time with the family at least twice a week. She described her nephews as sweethearts and Clara as a great mother and a role model. Working at the youth centre had fostered Clara's interest in child education and she was in the process of gaining professional teaching qualifications. Balancing studies with everyday life wasn't easy. Jakub and Andrei often had to accompany their mother on her class field trips.

They'd also hang around campus, quietly entertaining themselves while Clara completed her assignments. It was chaotic, but life was good and the boys were happy. Clara's university supervisor, who had met Jakub and Andrei many times, noted that Clara was raising her boys beautifully. After Clara's sister told her about Anichka, Clara went to meet the girl. She found her painting in the woods by the youth centre. Anichka was short and very thin, with mousy brown hair and glasses. She spoke quietly and nervously in a mixture of Czech and Norwegian. While she didn't reveal much about herself, Clara could tell that the girl was severely

traumatised. Clara spent the next few weeks building a rapport with Anichka, who eventually opened up about her past. Following the death of her parents, Anichka was placed in an orphanage where she was mistreated by those who ran the facility. Eventually, Anichka, along with some other children, had been sold into a pedophile ring and endured horrendous acts of sexual abuse and torture. She had also been forced to participate in the torture of the other children. When the pedophile ring was finally exposed, Anichka was sent to Katerina Maurova's Centre for Children, as she had no parents or guardians to claim her. Anichka was being treated by Andrei Zainalov, a psychiatric doctor from Azerbaijan who specialised in helping children with traumatic histories. He allowed Clara to take a look at Anichka's medical file

Dr Zainalov explained that in addition to her psychological traumas, Anichka also had leukaemia In his opinion, she would be lucky if she lived to the age of 16 From around September 2005, Anichka began living with Clara full-time. As part of this new arrangement, Clara's sister, Katerina, took Anichka to the hospital for chemotherapy sessions. Dr Zainalov continued to treat Anichka remotely, sending therapy and care instructions to Clara via email and text messages. It wasn't long before Clara wanted to formally adopt Anichka. Twelve months later, in October 2006, Clara and Katerina Maurova sat in the office of Brunez Deputy Ombudsman. Katerina had used her standing as

the director of a youth centre to arrange the meeting. The sisters explained that they had spent the previous year doing everything they could to have Anichka adopted by Clara. Unfortunately, their efforts were hindered due to the fact that Anichka didn't possess a birth certificate or passport. Without legal identification, it was almost impossible for Clara to adopt Anichka. The sisters had approached multiple institutions seeking help, but no one was willing or able to assist them. was willing or able to assist them. One was the Endangered Children Fund, a non-government, non-profit organisation that provided social and legal protection to children in the Czech Republic. In order to receive their help, Anichka needed to stay at the fund's children's shelter while her case progressed. Given Anichka's traumatic history and ill health,

Clara and Katerina expressed their concern that such an upheaval could have devastating effects. From a procedural standpoint, the deputy ombudsman should have referred Anichka's case to departmental social workers. However, she agreed that removing Anichka's case to departmental social workers. However, she agreed that removing Anichka from her foster family was not in her best interests. The deputy ombudsman provided the Mauarova sisters with advice on how to proceed. The first step was for Anichka's age to be verified. Over the course of several weeks, Katerina accompanied Anichka to University Hospital in Brno, where she was subjected to various medical examinations. X-rays of her forearm and hands were taken, and her DNA was also tested.

It was determined that Anichka was between the ages of 13 and 14. Armed with a medical certificate confirming Anichka's age, the Maurova sisters applied to Brunez Municipal Court. They sought a judicial ruling on whether Anichka could remain with Clara and be legally adopted by her. The hearing was scheduled for March the following year of 2007. As part of the court process, social workers inspected Clara's small flat in Brunet. They found everything to be in order. They found everything to be in order. By January, Klara had moved her family into a larger two-storey terraced house on a quiet street in Kurim, 15 kilometres north of Brno. The house was arranged and paid for by Anichka's doctor, Andrey Zanarlov, with the help of Klara's sister, Katerina.

Klara made sure that Anichka felt at home, painting her room bright yellow and filling it with toys. Anichka's case was heard in the municipal court on March 26. The presiding judge reviewed all the relevant medical and social work documents, as well as some additional reports Katerina had commissioned in support of Klara's application. Both sisters provided statements and Anichka was interviewed by the judge. In reaching her decision, the judge concluded that Anichka's biological mother was likely a drug addict who had given birth to Anichka at home. As Anichka had never attended school, it was unlikely there were any formal records in her name. The judge granted Anichka the legal birth date of December 2 1993, making her 13 years, 3 months and 24 days old. A birth certificate would be created and Anichka finally had legal recognition. Klara's application for adoption was also approved.

Anichka was given Klara's surname, Maurova. Six weeks later, on Monday May 7 2007, a call was placed to the Kurim police. The caller was a local man named Eduard Trudy. He had been attempting to connect a baby monitor to his television when it intercepted another camera. Its footage showed a naked boy hogtied on a concrete floor. Edouard had started recording the live feed to preserve evidence, which he then showed police when they arrived at his house. Given the operating range of the baby monitor was only about 30 to 50 metres, police believed the boy must be in a neighbouring house. As one officer focused on the footage, he recognised a song playing in the background.

Realising that if they knew which house the music was coming from, they might find the boy, the officers turned down the television's audio. They then pressed their ears to cups they held against the walls. The cups amplified sound, allowing them to hear noises from the houses that shared a wall with Edouard's home. Emanating from behind one wall was the same song that was captured in the footage. Edouard wasn't familiar with the neighbours on that side and had never seen any boys coming in or out of their house. Officers attended the property and two women aged in their 30s answered the front door.

They refused police requests to enter the premises. Although the officers didn't have a search warrant, the situation was exceptional. Ignoring the women's protests, the police forced their way in and came across a storage cupboard beneath a staircase. It was padlocked. The women insisted that no one was in there, but refused to hand over a key. They had to be pulled away from the cupboard as police began trying to remove the padlock. Suddenly, a young girl in pyjamas ran into the room, screaming, Mama! Mama!

After hugging one of the women, the girl started holding onto the officer's legs, hindering their efforts to access the locked cupboard. The padlock was eventually removed and the cupboard opened. Inside was a dark room, about 2 metres by 2 metres in size. It had no ventilation and an odour of vomit and faeces wafted out. A bucket sat in one corner. There was little else aside from a high-tech security camera that was actively recording the space. Next door, Edouard Trudy's eyes were glued to his television. When police had begun knocking at his neighbour's door, the footage of the little boy had abruptly gone dark.

Someone had suddenly turned off a light within the confined space. Now that a door had been opened, light filtered back in. Edouard watched live as it illuminated the naked, restrained boy. Police scooped him up, removed his restraints and took him to a waiting ambulance. took him to a waiting ambulance. The boy's name was Andrei and he was seven years old. He told officers that he was kept in the cupboard under the stairs while his mother, Klara Maurova, and his sister, Anichka Maurova, lived freely in the rest of the house. The other woman at the home when police arrived was Andrei's aunt, Katerina Maurova. She visited often. Neither Clara nor Katerina

enquired about Andrei's welfare following his rescue. Clara Maurova was placed under arrest for child abuse and was remanded in custody as an investigation commenced. Klara's other son, nine-year-old Jakub, wasn't at the family home when police stormed the premises. Concerns for his welfare grew, even more so upon the discovery of a locked garden shed in the yard. Gaps in its frame were covered by the same type of duct tape that had been used to bind Andrei's hands and feet. The police broke in, but Yakub was not inside. He was soon located and deemed safe. soon located and deemed safe. As their home life was investigated, Jakub, Andrei, and Anichka were sent to a children's shelter in Brno run by the Endangered Children Fund. During their first day, Anichka remained withdrawn and fearful of social interactions, while her brothers played together and appeared to be adjusting. By the following afternoon, Andre began exhibiting post-traumatic stress and high levels

of anxiety. He was returned to hospital, where he was stabilised and held for further observation. That evening, staff at the shelter commenced their nightly rounds as the children slept. They found Jakub sound asleep in the room he shared with Anichka, but her bed was empty. A search of the facility failed to locate her. It was soon realised that one of the windows in Anichka's room was open It was not possible for a child to open the window on their own Hundreds of police officers searched for Anichka Mararova. She was known to feel comfortable in the wilderness, so a helicopter with heat-seeking capabilities scoured nearby wooded areas. A spokesperson for the children's shelter publicly voiced concern that Anichka had been kidnapped and said they were worried about her fragile health.

said they were worried about her fragile health. Meanwhile, with his brother hospitalised and sister missing, nine-year-old Yaqub remained at the children's shelter alone. None of his relatives were permitted to visit him, so he was mostly left to his own devices. As he watched television one day, Yaqub saw the footage of his brother's imprisonment. It had been leaked to the media along with a statement Andre gave police that detailed his ordeal.

In his statement, Andre said he'd been abused for a long time in a number of locations and by more people than just his mother. Eventually, Jakub revealed to police that he too had been treated the same way. It all began shortly after Anichka was brought into their home in the autumn of 2005. Klara Maurova cared for Anichka on the instruction and guidance of Anichka's doctor, Andrey Zanarlov. He said that in order for Anichka to heal from her past trauma, she would need to feel completely safe and welcome in Klara's home. Klara had to lavish Anichka with attention, praise and reassurance. with attention, praise and reassurance. Dr Zanarlov also diagnosed Anichka with a condition that caused spinal fluid to build up but could be treated with massage therapy.

Clara was instructed to regularly massage Anichka's entire body. The doctor explained that massaging Anichka's intimate areas would also desensitise and reprogram her past sexual trauma. Over time, Anichka began to improve. But Clara's efforts to help the young girl had become an obsession. She began neglecting her sons, often sending them to stay with their grandparents. neglecting her sons, often sending them to stay with their grandparents. By the summer of 2006, Clara had been trying to adopt Anichka without success for almost nine months. Meanwhile, Dr Zanarlov was growing concerned about the family situation. Anichka had told him that Andrei and Yakub were being mean to her, and he felt that

she would never truly be a part of the family if they didn't accept her. He recommended that Clara use corporal punishment against her sons to make them behave. Starting in July 2006, Clara dutifully began to beat Andrei and Jakob with a wooden spoon and a metal belt buckle. The boys were also made to kneel for hours at a time or else be locked in a cupboard with no food, water or toilet access. At night, they had to sleep on a mat on the floor. They were completely isolated from family and friends. This abuse continued for around five weeks. Then, Dr Zanarlov advised Clara to bring the boys to a cottage in Vyverska-Batyshka,

a town about 20 kilometres northwest of Brno. There, the re-education would begin. Andre and Jakub arrived at the cottage in late August 2006. It was an isolated property at the end of a small country lane on the outskirts of town. Trees concealed the residents from view. The boy's aunt, Katerina Maurova, was already there when they arrived. She'd brought with her two dog cages, one for each brother. They were locked in the cages, which forced them to remain bent or kneeling

and unable to move. They were only fed scraps of food and were not released to use the bathroom. If they tried to communicate with one another, they were beaten. That night, the first re-education session began. The boys were bound, blindfolded, and beaten. Clara scratched and stabbed her sons with a fork and forced their heads underwater while Katerina held them in place. Andre and Jakub had to memorise vulgar passages and were hurt if they failed to recount them word for word. The torture continued into the next day.

As well as being victimised, Andrei was also made to hurt his brother. But when Anichka accused Andrei of physically harming her, he bore the brunt of the abuse. At one point, Anichka accused Andrei of physically harming her, he bore the brunt of the abuse. At one point, Anichka even joined in. While Dr Andrei Zanarlov wasn't present at the cottage, he kept in touch with Klara via text messages and emails. When Klara informed him that Andrei's re-education was not working, Dr Zanarlov devised a plan. As per the doctor's orders, Clara handed Andrei a glass of water and told him to give it to Yakub, who was thirsty. Andrei did as instructed and Yakub drank from the glass.

He was then taken away. Yacoub drank from the glass. He was then taken away. Andrei was then informed that the water he had just given his older brother was actually poison. He was led outside to the back of the cottage where Yacoub's lifeless body lay in a freshly dug grave. Andrei was told that if he behaved himself and obeyed all instructions, then Jakub would come back to life. Andre promised to be good and Jakub, who'd been forced to play dead by the adults, got up. reassured Clara that these re-education practices were scientifically proven to be effective in modifying bad behaviour and insisted that the program was nearly complete. His next demand was for Clara to burn Andre's buttocks, cut off a piece of the wounded flesh, and force the young boy to eat it.

This was too far for Clara who couldn't carry out the order. Disappointed in her, Dr Zanarlov decided to send out reinforcements. Two men and a woman soon arrived at the cottage. 29-year-old Jan Turek was a scout leader at Katerina Mauerova's Centre for Children. His friend, 23-year-old Jan Szklar, occasionally worked there as an assistant. The woman was 26-year-old Hanna Byshova. She too was a scout leader at the centre. Andrey and Jakub knew her as Aunt Nancy. Klara Maurova handed her sons over to Turek, Shkla and Bashova.

She thanked them for the work they were about to do, then left. Turek and Shkla proceeded to gag, strip, restrain, mutilate and torture the boys, as per Dr. Zanarlov's instructions. Meanwhile, Hanna Bashova made lots of noise in the background to give the boys the impression more people were present. When Clara returned, she knelt beside Andrei and Yakub and said that if they ever told anyone what had happened at the cottage, she would bring them back there. Klara took Anichka back to their Brane flat and continued trying to adopt the girl, while Andrei and Yakub were left with their aunt, Katerina, as well as Hanna Bashova and Jan Shklar. They took the boys to an after-school clubhouse

in Brnoer South, where Katerina, Bashova, and Shklar sometimes worked as group leaders. Andrei and Yakub were kept separate and their abuse continued Their mother never visited and the boys were not allowed to see or speak to other family members On September 10, Andre turned 7 Almost a month later on October 6, Jakub had his 9th birthday Almost a month later on October 6, Jakub had his ninth birthday. Then, four months into the brothers' imprisonment at the clubhouse, things changed. In December, Andrei was allowed to live with his mother and Anichka in their new house in Kurim.

Jakub remained at the clubhouse. As time wore on, he was sometimes permitted to attend school, but was threatened into remaining silent about the abuse. Meanwhile, 15 kilometres away in Kurim, Andre was kept naked and bound in a small, windowless storage cupboard under the stairs. No one suspected anything was wrong in the Mauerova household until May 2007, when neighbour Edouard Thredy connected his baby monitor to his television. André and Jakub's bodies were riddled with burns, scratches, and scars. Both boys exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress as well as phobias and other developmental mood and sleep disorders. Their ability to concentrate was impaired and they grappled with feelings of loneliness, isolation, guilt, and abandonment. Psychologists determined that Andre and Jakob would require long-term,

if not lifelong, psychological care. Despite what they had endured, the brothers were remarkably resilient. They started school within days of their rescue.rei was homeschooled at the children's shelter while Yakub attended in-person classes. Their older sister, Anichka, didn't cope as well. While she hadn't endured any of the abuse instigated by Dr. Andrei Zanalov, she was very unsettled in the shelter that was supposed to be their refuge. Then she vanished altogether. Nine days later, three identical envelopes arrived at the Brunet Ombudsman's office, the Mladá Frontá Dnes newspaper, and the office of the Czech Republic's president. and the office of the Czech Republic's president.

Each contained a photocopy of the same nine-page handwritten letter dated six days earlier and signed with the name Anichka Maurova. It read, My mother is not at all bad, as shown on television and in the newspapers. I don't understand everything, but I will write the truth as I know it. Please forgive my mother. I know that the police and everyone are looking for me, but I'm afraid of everyone. Nobody wants to hear how it really was." The letter detailed Anichka's time living with Clara, Andre and Jakub. She insisted that Andre was not abused or locked away.

She accused Andre of lashing out at her, mostly at night when there was no one around to witness it. He had threatened Anichka to stay quiet, saying that she would be taken away if she spoke up. The letter explained that Clara desperately wanted Andrei to treat Anichka nicely. She feared that his misbehaviour would compromise Anichka's adoption. Upon learning that her adoptive mother could be imprisoned for eight years, Anichka fled the children's shelter. Her letter didn't shed any light on where she was currently. However, postage marks indicated the envelopes were sent from a town just north of Brunei. The country's president expressed scepticism that the letter was penned by a 13-year-old.

Psychologists agreed that an adult had likely helped Anichka write it, then deliver it to the post office. Anichka's former room at the children's shelter in Brno was thoroughly inspected by forensic investigators in an effort to identify the person who had facilitated her escape. They swabbed surfaces and were able to detect foreign DNA which was cross-checked against everyone embroiled in the case. While it wasn't a direct match to anybody involved, it was a familial match to Jan Szkla. He had joined in the abuse of Andrzej and Jakub at the Wawerska-Batyska cottage. The DNA belonged to his older sister, 32-year-old Barbora Szklova.

Like her brother, Barbora Shklova worked at Katerina Maurova's youth centre. The amount of Barbora's DNA found throughout Anichka's room indicated she must have lived there for a number of days. Though Barbora's current whereabouts were unknown, investigators were certain that she was with Anichka Maurova. Anichka Maurova's disappearance was covered extensively in Czech newspapers. Articles featured a photo of a smiling Klara Mauarova with an arm around Anichka's shoulders. Anichka's brown hair was parted down the middle, with each half woven into thin braids.

She looked nervous, with an emotionless face and downward gaze. Upon seeing this photograph, a staff member at Katerina Maurova's youth centre phoned the police. She reported that the person next to Klara Maurova was not a teenage girl named Anichka. She was actually a woman who had worked at the centre for the last seven years. Her name was Barbora Shklova. who had worked at the centre for the last seven years. Her name was Barbora Shklova. Barbora Shklova was the eldest of three children. Her mother was a doctor who had a severe drinking problem and her father was mostly absent,

choosing to prioritise his work as a boys' youth group leader. Barbora found solace in nature as she generally felt uncomfortable around people. Growing up, she was treated for neurological and cardiac conditions as well as epilepsy. She also had an underactive thyroid which inhibited her physical growth. No matter her age, Barbora had a tendency to form childlike attachments to others. When Barbora was in her early 20s, she met Katerina Maurova. The young women became friends and eventually moved in together. At 26, Barbora started work as an educator at the youth centre Katerina ran.

Barbora's younger brother Jan was also hired sometime later. In 2005, with the assistance of Katerina Maurova, Barbora began creating a new identity for herself as a 13-year-old named Anichka. They invented a backstory for the fictional Anichka, one so traumatic it would elicit compassion from others and be difficult to disprove. passion from others and be difficult to disprove. Barbora spent months starving herself until she lost half her weight and had the appearance of a sickly teen. She wore children's clothing, hats and colourful eyeglasses and styled her hair in ways popular with teens. Then, in the summer of 2005, Katerina introduced Anichka to her younger sister, Klara. For the next two years, Barbora played the role of Anichka to perfection. The stories about her deceased parents, time spent in an orphanage, and the abuse by a pedophile ring were all made up, as was her leukaemia diagnosis.

Katerina gave Klara fake medical documentation to support Anichka's cancer diagnosis. She would regularly collect barbora from Klara's home, claiming she was taking Anichka to chemotherapy. Although she never attended the hospital, Barbora would return looking weak, wrapped in a blanket with tubes sticking out of her. Anichka's psychiatrist, Dr Andrei Zanarlov from Azerbaijan didn't exist either. While never conclusively established, it was thought that Barbora's younger brother Jan Shklar played this role. He had disguised himself and produced fraudulent credentials when meeting Clara. Anitska's medical file that he let her read was also fake

The deputy ombudsman who assisted the Mauerova sisters, the doctors who examined Anichka and submitted reports to the court and the judge who gave Anichka a legal identity and formalised her adoption were all deceived as well The judge had made her decision based on false medical reports. The doctors who examined Anichka took x-rays and samples of her DNA and had correctly determined that their patient was between the ages of 13 and 14. However, their patient had not been Barbora Shklova masquerading as Anichka. Katerina had duped a friend and used his 13-year-old daughter to impersonate Anichka during the assessment. Clara was aware of this specific con and went along with it, based on the guidance of Dr Andrey Zanarlov.

He explained that if the real Anichka attended the examination, then doctors would discover her leukaemia and the adoption application would be immediately rejected. All of the emails and text messages from Dr Zanarlov to Klara were later found to have originated from accounts belonging to Katerina Maurova. Every instruction to abuse Andrey and Yakub had come from their own aunt. Barbora Shklova, as Anichka, abetted the abuse by saying the brothers were harming her. Klara Maurova insisted that she was completely oblivious to the web of deceit woven by her sister. She was unaware that her cancer-stricken teenage daughter was in fact a woman in her early 30s.

In a media statement, Clara said, All my actions of which I am accused were led and directed by other persons whose identity was kept secret from me and who at the same time took advantage of my very bad mental state into which they brought me and in which they kept me. Clara was supported by her parents and other sister, Gabriela, who condemned Katerina. They claimed that Katerina, both directly and via the fictional doctor, had kept Clara in a constant state of fear. Clara was led to believe that if she didn't follow the orders of those she trusted, Anichka would die. Klara Maurova, quote, Until the last moment, I believed that the doctor would show up and everything would be explained.

That I was just helping Anichka and that it made sense. I have nothing now. I just hurt my kids terribly and ruined their lives. In the weeks and months after Andrei and Yakub were rescued, those responsible for their suffering were located and arrested. responsible for their suffering were located and arrested. The boy's mother and their aunt faced abuse and torture charges, as did Centre for Children's staff members Jan Turek, Jan Szkla, and Hanna Baszova. However, Barbora Szklova was still missing. The last anyone had heard of her was the letter she'd sent to the country's president, deputy ombudsman, and a national newspaper, while still masquerading as a Nijka.

On Friday June 15, nearly five weeks after she had fled the shelter, Barbora Shklova showed up at the Czech embassy in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. She was accompanied by her father, their lawyer, and two journalists. Barbora had been laying low in the city for about a month. At the embassy, she provided ID and requested that hair and saliva samples be taken in order to prove that she was Barbora Shklova. After Barbora and her entourage left, embassy staff contacted the authorities in the Czech Republic. Despite her stated fear of people and the media,

Barbora arranged an interview with the Lidove Novine newspaper. She admitted to her fictitious life as a nichka. She felt happier and more comfortable being a nichka and preferred the way people treated her when they thought she was young. Barbora said that the original intention behind the con was to supervise the children at Katerina Maurova's youth centre while blending in with them. The situation then, quote, evolved to her inserting herself into Clara Maurova's life and family. She didn't elaborate any further. Barbora denied that Clara abused her sons. She claimed that Andre had only been locked up for a short time on the day he was discovered and was disciplined on

just one other occasion. Barbora held little sympathy for Andre, implying that his punishment was rightly deserved. When pressed on that point, Barbora claimed that the then six-year-old Andrei had beaten both her and Yakub. She couldn't explain what prompted the attack, only that Andrei had suddenly started shouting, kill Yakub, kill Anichka. Barbora remarked, Jakub, kill Anichka. Barbora remarked, Andre has such power that no one would believe it. He has enormous power. Barbora had no plans to return to the Czech Republic, saying that she would provide the authorities with a statement through her lawyer. When asked if she would continue being Anichka, Barbora said, no, Anichka's gone.

After this interview, Barbora Shklova disappeared again. Five months later, in December 2007, a 13-year-old boy named Adam Varner, who lived in Oslo, Norway, approached his schoolteachers and confided that he had been abused. Believing the perpetrator was Adam's father, Adam was sent to a children's shelter. Then on Sunday December 16, Adam vanished. Police were contacted and a nationwide search began. Adam Barna was eventually located in the Czech Republic, where he was found safe and well with his mother. Adam had never attended school in Norway. Teachers 600 kilometres away in Oslo had no idea that the 13-year-old boy they thought was Adam Fahner was in fact 33-year-old Barbora Shklova.

She had stolen Adam's identity and had been masquerading as him for several months. To appear more masculine, Barbora had gained weight, shaved her head, and dressed in loose-fitting, oversized clothes favoured by teenage boys. According to the school's principal, some teachers thought Adam looked more like a girl, but they attributed this to 13 being a tricky age. Barbora was eventually tracked down north of Oslo and arrested. She was transported back to the Czech Republic, where she was photographed being led into a police station clutching a children's book and teddy bear. led into a police station clutching a children's book and teddy bear. Barbora was charged for the abuse of Andre and Jakub. The prosecution and defence had Barbora examined by their own experts.

The prosecution's expert concluded that Barbora didn't suffer from any psychological conditions. Rather, she was an expert at manipulating the people around her. The defence's expert disagreed, claiming that Barbora was mentally ill and in need of treatment. To resolve the matter, the court ordered its own evaluation. To resolve the matter, the court ordered its own evaluation. Their panel of eight independent psychologists and psychiatrists assessed Barbora and found she had no signs of mental illness. Barbora was declared competent to stand trial, as were her co-accused, Klara Mauorova, Katerina Mauorova, Hanna Bashova, Jan Turek, and Jan Sklar. They had all been charged with the abuse of Andrei and Jakub.

Klara, Katerina, Hanna Bashova, and Jan Sklar were charged with deprivation of liberty, and Jan Turek faced an additional charge of causing bodily harm. and Jan Turek faced an additional charge of causing bodily harm. Katarina also faced charges for perjury and providing false expert testimony to court when helping Klara adopt Anichka. The trial opened with a full read of the indictment, which detailed all of the abuse allegedly perpetrated against Andrei and Yakub. At the conclusion of the reading, a noticeably thinner Klara Maurova took to the stand. Sobbing, Klara agreed with everything that had been read from the indictment.

from the indictment. She claimed that she had put complete faith and trust in Dr. Andrei Zanarlov and her sister, Katerina. Quote, I tried to help Anichka, then the problems with the boys' behavior towards Anichka began. I believed that they were serious and I was convinced that I had spoiled them with my education and actions, that Andrei was behaviourally sick and would not have a normal life. I was grateful to the doctor for offering to help me with my boys. I wanted very much to help Anichka too so that we could be like a family. too so that we could be like a family. I believed that if I did everything right and well, I would save Anichka and Andrei would not have to go to an institution for his bad behaviour and that Jakub would be a good person. Despite claims previously made by Barbora Shklova, Clara admitted that Andrei was almost always locked inside the cupboard under the stairs at their Kurim house.

He was only let out on rare occasions as a reward for good behaviour. Clara's maternal focus was so warped that by the time police banged on her front door to rescue Andre, she actually feared they were there to take Anichka away. In trying to explain her actions, Clara stated, I hurt my children, but I didn't want to hurt them. I tried to be a good mother. I never liked violence. Terrible things happened. I am aware of it and I cannot understand how I could have allowed it. Psychological experts testified that Clara Maurova had a tendency to make decisions based on emotions and feelings alone. They acknowledged that the constant and increasing pressure placed on her caused a, quote, kind of brainwashing. Although they conceded that Clara did not suffer from any

disorders and was able to control her actions, they agreed that she had been deceived, abused, abused and manipulated. Clara was the only defendant who admitted to her actions. The others fully denied the allegations against them. Barbora Shklova testified briefly in person and the rest of her statement was read out by the judge. She stated that she was not a perpetrator of deception or abuse, but a victim of it. She claimed that she had been repeatedly locked up, beaten, tied to tables, sexually abused and cut with knives by the Maurova sisters and Hanna Bashova. Other strangers took part as well. Barbora also claimed that

sometimes Andrei would stab her and beat her with a stick. Barbora's brother, Jan Szklar, said that he had seen evidence of injuries and abuse on Barbora's body. However, the eight independent psychologists and psychiatrists who assessed Barbora had concluded, quote, Barbora Shklova suffers from histrionic personality disorder which is accompanied by theatricality, dramatization, exaggerated expression of emotions, and manipulative behaviour to achieve one's own needs. The panel also believed Barbora's supposed history of seizures had been caused by convulsions associated with a disassociative disorder, not epilepsy. They determined that Barbora did not have multiple personality disorder, as she consciously and purposefully played the role of Anichka, and later Adam It was their opinion that for the purpose of the trial, Barbora was once again playing the role of a victim of a victim. As the trial drew to a close, Katerina Mauarova told the court that she could no longer sit quietly while accusations were made against Barbora. Katerina admitted

that in 2005 she introduced Barbora to her sister. She said that she had mistakenly called Barbora Anichka and referred to her as being younger. It was then Katerina helped Barbora develop the Anichka identity. Katerina encouraged Clara to bond with Anichka, though claimed that Clara allowed herself to be convinced by Anichka's story. Katerina denied Barbora ever participated in or influenced the abuse of Andrei and Yakub. She told the court that in the summer of 2006, she and Clara devised the punishments used against the boys based on instructions from a person she described as someone whom we trusted without limit. She wouldn't admit to writing the emails and text messages sent by Dr Andrei Zanarlov. Katerina claimed that the goal was to simply educate the boys, but that things got out of hand.

During Katerina's testimony, Clara shouted at her sister, accusing her of lying and demanding to know why she had done this. Clara then collapsed and was removed from the courtroom. After Katerina finished her statement, she refused to answer any questions from the prosecution or the judge. In late October 2008, the six defendants were found guilty of all charges. For their role in the abuse, Jan Turek, Jan Szklar and Hanna Baszova were sentenced to five, seven and seven years in prison, respectively. The boy's mother, Klara Mauarova, was given nine years. Reflecting the leadership role she played, the boy's aunt, Katerina Mauarova, was sentenced to ten years.

Barbora Szklova was given a 5-year sentence. All of the defendants except Clara appealed, and all were rejected. This crime, which has since come to be known as the Kurim case, remains surrounded by rumours and speculation. Despite messages from Dr Andrei Zanalov encouraging acts of cannibalism, there is no evidence that the abuse escalated that far. Although Andrei was filmed naked while in captivity, investigators believe this was purely for surveillance and not for sexual purposes. There was also speculation that Josef Schla, the father of Barbora and Jan, was involved in his children's crimes. Josef was once the leader of a Boy Scout group and according to one former member, he turned the group into an extremist sect. Under the guise of spiritual teachings, Yosef invented violent methods for

breaking the scouts down in order to build them back up. Despite there being a similar motive in the treatment of Andrei and Yakub, Yosef Shklar hasn't been found to have any involvement in the Kurim case. Following the trial, Andrei and Yakub continue to be cared for at the Brone Children's Shelter. A court decision in December 2008 lifted the ban on visiting family members, and over time, the boys began to spend more and more time with their biological father and their maternal grandparents. By 2010, the boys lived with their grandparents full-time and were both doing well at school. All of the defendants served their minimum terms of imprisonment and were released on parole. None were permitted to work with children.

Barbora Shklova was set free in February 2012 and changed her name soon after. News outlets reported she was living off a disability pension in an undisclosed location and was in the care of psychologists. Katerina Maurova was released in July 2014 and has kept a low profile since. Andrei and Yakub's mother, Klara Mauerova, left prison nine months before her sister. According to the court psychiatrist, Klara made impressive psychological progress during her incarceration and was not considered a danger to her children or the community. While she no longer had any custodial rights over her sons, Clara had worked on rebuilding her relationship with them while in prison. After some hesitation on Jakub's part, both he and Andrei wrote letters to her and visited regularly.

By the time Clara was released in October 2013, 15-year-old Jakub and 13-year-old Andrei were reportedly happy to have their mother back. Thank you.