A stepmother accused of cruelty by forcing her adopted son to eat a pet rabbit said in court yesterday that it was pure fantasy.

It was claimed she made rabbit pie after the family pet was savaged by their Alsatian dog and that she served it to the eight-year-old boy for dinner.

The woman, 54, said she was upset that the boy had let the rabbit out of its hutch, but denied cooking it.

She added that there was no mention of rabbit pie or stew at the dinner table, even as a joke.

"The boy had fantasies about a lot of things, " she told a jury at Teesside Crown Court.

The 54-year-old woman and her husband, from Spennymoor, County Durham, have denied eight counts of ill treatment and assault involving the boy, now 14, and an adopted daughter, now 16.

The boy also claimed he was locked in his bedroom all night and not allowed to go to the toilet. The girl said she was hit with the belt at least ten times by the husband and hit against a wall by his wife, cracking a mirror.

The 49-year-old man also denies assaulting a 17-year-old girl, who sparked off the child cruelty inquiry by telling police that the adopted children were housework slaves.

The trial continues