Woman in Court for Old Crimes Against Children

May 5, 2026, 16:50
EuropeSociety

Introduction

A 67-year-old woman is in court. She may have killed her 5-year-old stepdaughter in 1978. She also hurt her stepson.

Main Body

A girl named Andrea died in 1978. She had bad burns. In 2022, her brother told the police the truth. He says the woman, Janice Nix, hurt the children to punish them. He says she used hot and cold water. Janice Nix looked after the children. The brother says she hit them with belts. He says she gave them cat food to eat. She also bit them and burned them with cigarettes. She told the brother to lie to the police. Janice Nix says she is not guilty. She says the hot water was an accident. She says the boiler broke. She also says the brother is lying because he wants money from his father.

Conclusion

The trial is not finished. The court must decide if the death was an accident or a crime.

Learning

🕰️ The 'Past' Pattern

To reach A2, you must move from now to then. In this story, we see two ways to talk about the past.

1. The 'Action' Words (Regular) Most words just need -ed at the end to show they happened before:

  • look →\rightarrow looked
  • punish →\rightarrow punished
  • burn →\rightarrow burned

2. The 'Special' Words (Irregular) Some words change completely. You must memorize these:

  • is →\rightarrow was
  • say →\rightarrow said
  • tell →\rightarrow told
  • give →\rightarrow gave

💡 Quick Logic: If the story happened in 1978, we cannot use "is" or "say." We must use "was" and "said."

  • Wrong: She is in court for things she do.
  • Right: She was in court for things she did.

Vocabulary Learning

court (n.)
A place where legal matters are decided.
Example:The court heard the case about the old crimes.
woman (n.)
An adult female human.
Example:A woman was accused of harming children.
killed (v.)
To cause death.
Example:He killed his stepdaughter in 1978.
hurt (v.)
To cause pain or injury.
Example:She hurt the children with belts.
children (n.)
Young people.
Example:The children were victims of abuse.
police (n.)
Law enforcement officers.
Example:The police investigated the case.
truth (n.)
The state of being true.
Example:He told the truth to the police.
punish (v.)
To inflict a penalty.
Example:She used hot water to punish them.
water (n.)
A liquid that people drink.
Example:He used hot and cold water.
belts (n.)
Straps used for punishment.
Example:She hit them with belts.
cat food (n.)
Food for cats.
Example:She gave them cat food to eat.
eat (v.)
To consume food.
Example:The children ate the cat food.
bite (v.)
To use teeth to cut.
Example:She bit them.
burn (v.)
To damage with heat.
Example:She burned them with cigarettes.
cigarette (n.)
A small roll of tobacco.
Example:She used cigarettes for burning.
lie (v.)
To tell a falsehood.
Example:She told the brother to lie.
guilty (adj.)
Responsible for wrongdoing.
Example:She says she is not guilty.
accident (n.)
An unintended event.
Example:The hot water was an accident.
boiler (n.)
A device that heats water.
Example:The boiler broke.
money (n.)
Currency used for payment.
Example:He wants money from his father.
father (n.)
A male parent.
Example:His father gave him money.
trial (n.)
A legal examination of a case.
Example:The trial is not finished.
death (n.)
The end of life.
Example:The death was unclear.
crime (n.)
An illegal act.
Example:The court must decide if it was a crime.