Amy Duggar says she hopes pedophile cousin Josh is facing 'absolute torture' in prison

Release time：2024-05-08 13:01:18 Source：International Identities news portal

Amy Duggar has scathingly revealed that she hopes her pedophile cousin Josh Duggar is facing 'absolute torture' in prison for his heinous child porn crimes - which were labeled the 'worst of the worst' by a judge overseeing his case. 

Josh, now 36, was found guilty of possessing child pornography and sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2021 - with his slated release date not until October 2032.

The former 19 Kids and Counting star is currently serving out his time at a federal prison in Texas - with his appeal denied and his stint previously extended by almost two months. 

His cousin Amy, 37, has now spoken out in no uncertain terms about how she hopes he is suffering behind bars.

Amy Duggar has scathingly revealed that she hopes her pedophile cousin Josh Duggar is facing 'absolute torture' in prison for his heinous child porn crimes 

Josh, now 36, was found guilty of possessing child pornography and sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2021 - with his slated release date not until October 2032 

'I hope every day there is absolute torture for him,' Amy told People. 'I really hope that because what he watched and what he was viewing for his own fulfillment is those kids experiencing torture.'

The mother-of-one continued: 'He deserves every second in there, and I hope he gets a longer term. I hope he messes up again.'

Josh, who shares seven children with wife Anna Duggar, was subject to a bombshell report in 2015 that claimed he had admitted to inappropriately touching four of his siblings years prior, and that his own parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, knew about it and failed to report the abuse.

He also admitted to using Ashley Madison to have an extramarital affair and later chose to enter rehab for his pornography addiction. 

The revelations left millions around the globe stunned, including Amy, who also explained she does not 'know if he's doing any work' on himself during his incarceration.

'I have not spoken to him and I will not. I will not,' she told the outlet. 'When you just cross those evil lines like that, there is no coming back. I just think there's no coming back.'

Amy revealed that she had initially reached out to Anna to offer support for her and her kids but has since had no contact - apart from during a chance meeting at a funeral in 2023.

'That was the last time. I wasn't really expecting to see anyone there, and I was shocked to see her. I just looked at her and I said, "Anna," and she was like, "I just need space." That's all she said to me,' Amy recalled.

The former 19 Kids and Counting star is now serving out his time at a federal prison in Texas - with his appeal denied and his stint previously extended by almost two months 

Josh, who shares seven seven children with wife Anna Duggar (seen together at trial), was subject to a bombshell report in 2015 that claimed he had admitted to inappropriately touching four of his siblings years prior 

Amy revealed that she had initially reached out to Anna to offer support for her and her kids (pictured with Josh previously)  but has since had no contact - apart from during a chance meeting at a funeral in 2023

'I understand, I can't speak for Anna and I'm not going to try, but I can't imagine what she has to deal with internally, let alone out for the world to see,' she continued. 'It's heartbreaking in every direction and I just respected the fact that she needed space and I didn't try to push any further.'

'I wanted to say a whole lot. I wanted to say tons of things, but in that moment it wasn't obviously the right location,' she added. 

'It was a ceremony, a viewing actually, at a funeral, and yeah. It wasn't the right timing and I didn't want to make a scene and I didn't want to do that or draw attention to anything and clearly respect her so I didn't. But if you ask me, I think she is mad. I do. I think she's just really, really mad.'

Amy, who is the niece of Duggar family patriarch Jim Bob and was a big part of their many lucrative reality shows when she was growing up, spoke to Vanity Fair about the immense anger she felt after Josh's behavior was brought to light.

According to the former reality star, she found out like 'the rest of the world' did - through the news - and was furious that no one in the family reached out to her directly. 

'I was p**sed. I felt like I wasn't worth telling… that they didn't want to protect me,' she said.

'They didn't want anyone to know, [and] they wanted to keep it inside their little bubble. Secrets breed in the IBLP. Things are hidden.'

According to a 2006 police report unearthed by InTouch Weekly in 2015, Jim Bob and Michelle (pictured) did not go to the police after discovering Josh's inappropriate behavior - despite him confessing to them

Amy said she believes the ideology behind the bizarre organization IBLP 'absolutely' empowered Josh's inappropriate behavior. Pictured: IBLP founder Bill Gothard

Amy was referring to the Duggar family religion, the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

She revealed that she then decided to go to Josh's home and ask him about it face to face.

'He was staying in a trailer and I went in there and I said, 'How could you do this?'' she continued. 'I was very bold about that.'

Amy claimed that Josh told her he didn't attempt anything physical with her because he said he 'knew better.'

She believes Josh purposely went after the siblings who he knew would never speak out against him.

According to a 2006 police report unearthed by InTouch Weekly in 2015, Josh's inappropriate behavior was first discovered in March 2002, when one of his youngest sisters went to Jim Bob 'very upset and crying.'

The unnamed sister said that Josh had snuck into the shared girls' bedroom and touched her breasts and genitals while she slept on four occasions.

When confronted by Jim Bob, the report said that Josh admitted to the incident and was 'disciplined,' though Jim Bob didn't reveal what the discipline entailed. 

According to the report, Josh was accused by several of his younger sisters of similar sexual touching again one year later. 

Amy recently took part in Amazon Prime's four-part, explosive docuseries about the family, entitled Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which exposed a slew of disturbing details about the church and the once-beloved family 

Jim Bob and Michelle did not initially go to the police, keeping the molestation allegations and Josh's confessions a secret until a tip was made to the Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Hotline about Josh's behavior three years after that. 

Finally speaking to law enforcement on December 12, 2006, the report said that Jim Bob stated that when he learned about what his son was doing, he 'met with the elders of his church and told them what was going on.'

They then sent him to a program run by the bizarre, 'cult-like' Christian group that the Duggars were devout members of, called the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), from March 17, 2003, to July 17, 2003. 

Jim Bob and Michelle also told the local police that Josh had 'apologized' to his victims and that they said they had 'forgiven' him, and when he returned, they believed the issue had been 'resolved.' 

The report said that Arkansas State Trooper Jim Hutchens gave Josh a 'very stern talk' about the matter.

When the police report describing Josh's transgressions was made public in 2015, Jill and Jessa Duggar identified themselves as two of his victims. Later, in 2017, Jinger and Joy Duggar were identified as the other victims in a lawsuit. 

Josh was later found guilty of possessing child pornography and sentenced to 12-years in prison. He is now serving out his time at a federal prison in Texas. 

Amy called her aunt and uncle 'cringe-worthy' and 'evil' for not going to the police immediately after learning what Josh had done. 

She added: 'To think that someone holds a higher value than someone else is just so disgusting.' 

When asked where she stands now with her aunt and uncle, she added: '[Jim Bob and Michelle] see me as someone that is disruptive and loud and completely against IBLP. So I am a threat. [But] I’m never going to back down and I’m not scared.'

Amy told Vanity Fair that she believes the ideology behind the bizarre organization IBLP 'absolutely' empowered Josh's inappropriate behavior.

'IBLP prizes the first child, [and] it doesn’t get much better than if it’s a son,' she explained. 'They hold the family name and the family value.

'If you’re valued from the moment you’ve been born and people hide your secrets and cover up things, and you never get in trouble for the things that you’re doing, I believe you just become numb to how the world really is, and how the law really is. 

'It’s so sad how far it was taken, where he thought he could get away with anything.

IBLP, which was started by shunned minister Bill Gothard, was well known for its very-rigorous 'guidelines' for members, which controlled almost every aspect of their lives - including how they could dress, who they could date, what they were allowed to watch on TV, and what music they were supposed to listen to.

Bill stepped down from the organization in 2014, when more than 30 women came forward and accused him of sexual harassment, 10 of whom later filed a lawsuit against him and the church, in which they claimed he had inappropriately touched them. 

Amy recently took part in Amazon Prime's four-part, explosive docuseries about the family, entitled Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which exposed a slew of disturbing details about the church and the once-beloved family. 

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