Cult head daughter 'denounced as fascist' over nursery rhyme

Aravindan Balakrishnan told his daughter objects in the house would explode if she went against him, the jury heard

The daughter of the leader of a Maoist cult was beaten and "denounced" as a fascist agent for singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, a jury has heard.

The woman told Southwark Crown Court her father Aravindan Balakrishnan, 75, had also said parts of the house would "blow up" if she went against him.

She alleges that she was born into the collective and held against her will.

Mr Balakrishnan, denies 16 charges, including rape, indecent assault, false imprisonment and mistreating a child.

'Hugged the tap and toilet'

The woman, who cannot be identified, told the court her father had run "a hate cult basically, full of hate, violence and horror."

Speaking about the nursery rhyme, the woman said she had overheard a neighbour singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star when she was 13 and began to sing it herself.

However, when her father heard it he accused her of being a fascist agent and hit her.

"The whole day there was nothing but shouting and beating, and crying, crying, crying," she said.

Speaking via video link she also said Mr Balakrishnan would tell her objects in their house would stop working or "blow up" if she went against him.

"I went and hugged the tap and toilet for thanking them for being nice to me... I kissed them because they did work," she said.

The woman said the incident had left her "at rock bottom".

"I couldn't bear it. I felt so lonely I really felt like dying that day," she said.

The woman told the court she had also been repeatedly "denounced" for perceived breaches of communist thinking and protocol and was often called a "crook and criminal" while she was at the cult.

She told the jury she was once denounced as a prostitute for hugging another woman in her sleep when she was 11.

The trial continues.