These shocking pictures reveal the disgusting ‘pigsty’ home where two lice-riddled children were forced to live amid flies, faeces and rotting food by parents who have now been jailed for neglect.
A police officer who entered the property said the smell inside the ‘uninhabitable’ and fly-infested building was so strong it ‘made his eyes water’.
The mother of the youngsters – who was jailed for two years in July – yesterday had an appeal against her sentence thrown out by judges.
At the original trial, Newcastle Crown Court heard she could not remember when the bathroom was last cleaned.
She even told police at the scene: ‘I did a bit of tidying up this morning’.
A police officer who entered the property said the smell inside the ‘uninhabitable’ and fly-infested building was so strong it ‘made his eyes water’
Police had been called to the address after Childrens’ Services discovered the shocking conditions the children were living in
Speaking at the Criminal Appeals Court in London, lawyers for the woman said she had ‘spiralled into depression’ and had been unable to cope with working as well as looking after children and a house.
But the appeal was thrown out with judges who said that the house had been a ‘pigsty’ and that the children had been subjected to ‘protracted neglect’.
In July, the mother accepted her kitchen facilities inside the house in North Tyneside deserved to be ‘condemned’.
The court heard the couple, who were both cautioned by police over the state of their home in the past, both had jobs that meant they had hygiene and health and safety certificates.
Their children, who were riddled with head lice, have been left with long term issues, including learning difficulties, as a result of their treatment.
Photographs taken inside the house showed the shocking state of squalor the children had been subjected to, with rubbish and clothes piled up in every room
In July the parents pleaded guilty to child neglect and Judge Earl sentenced them both to two years behind bars
Police had been called to the address after Childrens’ Services discovered the shocking conditions the children were living in.
The first officer to arrive at the scene immediately took the children into protective custody when he saw their state.
Photographs taken inside the house showed the shocking state of squalor the children had been subjected to, with rubbish and clothes piled up in every room.
Daniel Penman, prosecuting, told the court: ‘He described an overwhelming smell of urine and rotting food from the kitchen.
‘The carpet in the hall was thick with dog hair, such that its original colour could not be determined.
‘The downstairs toilet was heavily stained with faeces and there was fecal matter next to the toilet.
‘The smell was so strong it made his eyes water. There was a lot of flies in the house.
Defence barristers told the court that the parents had been struggling with their own issues at the time and their situation got out of hand
‘He also inspected the kitchen and found it to be full of rotting food. There was faeces on the floor and soiled men’s underwear.
‘In the living room, again, there was rotting food and faecal matter on the floor.’
The court heard the childrens’ hair was crawling with lice and eggs and had been in that state for around three years.
Speaking in July, Judge Stephen Earl questioned how those who saw the children every day outside of their home did not raise any concerns.
The judge said: ‘Didn’t the school notice that these children were in an appalling state.
‘It is reported that these children had had lice, serious head lice for two years or more.’
Judge Earl said it ‘beggars belief’ that the childrens’ plight was not brought to the attention of the authorities earlier.
He added: ‘I have serous concerns about how we allowed this to slip through our society’s net.’
In July the parents pleaded guilty to child neglect and Judge Earl sentenced them both to two years behind bars.
He said: ‘Frankly, how they managed to survive in your care is somewhat in question.
‘It is appalling that you lived in this situation, never mind brought up children in it.
‘This is protracted neglect over a lengthy period of time.’
Defence barristers told the court that the parents had been struggling with their own issues at the time and their situation got out of hand.
They urged the judge to suspend the prison sentences, which he rejected and added: ‘Such that the message is sent appropriately that children are probably one of the greatest assets that a society has.
‘The way in which these children were ill treated and neglected deserves an immediate custodial sentence.’