A couple accused of abusing their 10-year-old foster daughter went on trial on Thursday in the Netherlands, facing potential charges of attempted manslaughter, negligence, abuse, and unlawful deprivation of liberty.

The girl was taken to hospital in May in an unconscious, filthy, severely malnourished state with multiple broken bones, weighing 22 kilograms. 

She sustained serious and permanent injuries from being abused in an electrified cage and being thrown down the stairs by her foster parents, Daisy and John, who were not present in court.

"They locked her in her room, handcuffed her arms and legs and covered her mouth with tape. They placed her in a homemade cage with electrical wires attached to it," the public prosecutor told the court, highlighting the months of abuse she faced while being held captive in the house.

The prosecutor said the couple neglected to allow the girl to receive medical care.

The 10-year-old woke up from her coma in July, unable to walk, stand, or communicate. Additionally, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) stated that the girl will rely on intensive medical care for the rest of her life.

The couple's lawyer denied they pushed her down the stairs, claiming she herself jumped.

The girl had reported the alleged abuse several times, Dutch media reported, approaching people at school and the supermarket. However, people close to the family dismissed her sayings.