A man in Sweden is accused of fraudulently claiming several million kronor in benefits after forcing his daughter to fake a mental illness for 11 years.
According to The City newspaper, the case only came to light after the 18 year-old girl, who has been in isolation since the age of seven, fled the family home and reported her father for making threats.
The man has been claiming more than SEK 25,000 (EUR 2,768) a week for taking care of the girl who was classed as an infantile, only able to express herself through body language and sounds. An investigation by social services, however, has since concluded that she has a high level of functionality.
It is now expected that the father will face charges of aggravated fraud and benefits crimes at Malmo District Court. It is thought that he instructed his daughter, who has never been to school, about how to act in front of doctors and psychiatrists.