Man who locked up son in box with bucket for toilet sentenced to five years in prison

A Florida man has been sentenced to 5 years in prison after he was convicted of abusing his son in the most horrific of ways.

Timothy Ferriter of Jupiter received a sentence of 5 years of probation after he's released from prison, after a jury found him guilty of child abuse.

Ferriter was abusing his adopted son by locking him in a box and keeping a bucket for him for use as a toilet.

Despite Ferriter's cruel abuse, his son told his father in court that he "still loved him," and that he remained "his son and a Ferriter."

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The court found Ferriter guilty on all charges after hearing the harrowing details of his son's living conditions, including being locked in a windowless room for extended periods of time.

The victim is being identified only as "RF" to maintain his privacy. He testified during the trial and described his confinement as "dehumanising," even comparing it to "genocide".

RF was locked in a confined space for up to 18 hours a day, enduring horrific living conditions with no control over the lights or air conditioning in the windowless room. He had nothing more than a mattress on the floor.

Ferriter even documented the abuse he inflicted on his son. The footage from a Ring camera revealed him screaming at and berating his son for reasons such as attracting rats if he didn't finish all his food.

The food in question was merely leftovers he was given to eat in isolation once the rest of the family had finished their meals.

The neglect and abuse got to the point where his son had to use a bucket as a toilet inside the 8x8 room.

The defense argued the boy's severe behavioral issues caused his dad to act this way, arguing that his actions were poor parenting choices, not intentional abuse.