Video of a Texas judge beating his disabled daughter in 2004 has recently gone viral, but he's says "it's not as bad as it seems."
Hillary Adams told KRIS-TV that she posted the video late last month after years of abuse by her father, Aransas County Judge William Adams.
"Waiting this long to publish it has enabled me to look at it with hindsight and not be so caught up in the passion of the moment," Hillary Adams said. "I think we do, my mother and I, we do need to try to move on past the anger and just concentrate on getting counseling and help."
"It happened years ago... I apologized," the judge recalled, adding, "It's not as bad as it looks on tape."
"Wow, that is a perfect example of his making light of the situation," Hillary Adams told the station. "He is a shining example of the way he would treat us. I just can't believe he would say something like, he doesn't think it's a big deal."
She claimed Judge Adams administered the beating because he did not approve of her illegally downloading music and games.
"She has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views," Hillary Adams wrote of herself in the video's description.
The man in the video can be seen repeatedly using a belt to whip the girl in the legs.
"Bend over the fucking bed!" he shouted.
"Stop! Stop!" she screamed.
"Lay down or I'll spank you in the fucking face!" he warned. "Didn't I tell you to take that fucking thing off the computer!"
At one point, Judge Adam's then-wife Hallie Adams took over the spanking duties. When she refused to give the belt back to the judge, he returned with another one.
"I'll beat you into submission," he said as he continued to deliver blows. "You want to put some more computer games on? You want some more? Fucking computer. I didn't even want one in the goddamn house. See all the problems they caused?"
In all, the girl is seen taking at least 20 licks over a 7-minute period.
The disturbing YouTube video has been viewed almost 700,000 times after it became a popular topic on the social media website Reddit.
Reddit users have launched a vigilante campaign against Judge Adams, posting personal details and having pizzas delivered to his house. The local law enforcement has been flooded with phone calls since a "Don’t Re-Elect Judge William Adams" page was created on Facebook.
"We were made aware of the video last night, and there is an ongoing investigation," police Chief Tim Jayroe told Slate Wednesday.
For her part, Hillary Adams is now trying to curb the unexpected fury of the Internet.
"It is my wish that people stop threatening my father and start offering professional help," she tweeted. "That's what he really needs."
The Aransas County Republican was elected to the bench in 1998 by defeating incumbent Democrat Robert "Bob" Shellenbergar with 67 percent of the vote,
WARNING: The following video is very disturbing.
