Washington, Apr 20 (IANS): An American couple have each been been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after they pleaded guilty to holding captive and torturing their children for years in their California home.

"My parents took my whole life from me... But now, I'm taking my life back," one of their daughters said during a hearing on Friday.

She was one of two of the children, both now in college, who appeared in court to offer testimony about how they suffered at the hands of their parents, David and Louise Turpin.

The couple was arrested early last year after one of their 13 children -- who ranged in age from two to 29 -- managed to escape their home in Perris and called the police.

Authorities said the siblings had been isolated from the outside world and were often denied showers, medical care and food. They were sometimes tied up for "weeks or even months at a time".

The victims told investigators that being tied with ropes was initially a form of punishment. But when one victim escaped, the parents started using chains and padlocks to shackle some of the children to beds.

One of their sons told the court on Friday: "I cannot describe in words what we went through growing up. Sometimes I still have nightmares of things that happened, such as my siblings being chained up or getting beaten."