A woman has fronted court on child neglect charges after her three young children were found living in extreme squalor inside an Illawarra home.
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Officers who turned up to the house in October last year to check on the children’s welfare described the living conditions inside the home as “near uninhabitable”, saying the house was covered in human faeces, there was a drawer full of rotting food, unwashed clothing piled high and an infestation of flies and cockroaches in multiple rooms.
The officers, many of whom are seasoned members of the force, said they were so overwhelmed with the “disgusting” conditions they immediately contacted Family and Community Services to have the children removed.
Considering the case in Wollongong Local Court on Thursday, Magistrate Mark Douglass said it was one of the worst examples of child neglect he’d ever seen.
“I’m struggling to imagine a worse case in relation to children,” he said.
“It’s perhaps one of the worst cases of neglect that’s been brought before me in a criminal form.”
Court documents detailing the extent of the filth said urine and faeces stains were present on almost every surface in the house and officers were left dry-retching while documenting the destruction.
“The bedrooms were absolute squalor with stained mattresses, nil bedding and putrid floors covered in soiled nappies,” police wrote in documents tendered to the court.
“One of the children’s bedrooms contained a cot covered in faeces….the mattress was soiled to the point of being completely brown.
“The wall alongside the cot was covered in faeces where the child had apparently taken off his nappy and wiped his faeces over the wall.
“There was a mattress under the cot which was also covered in faeces.”
Police said the bathroom was piled high with unwashed clothes, meaning the children were forced to stand on the clothing to use the toilet, which itself was covered in grime and hardened faeces.
“All of the floor within the house had urine and faeces stains and there were a large number of flies and cockroaches scattered around the house.”
The court heard FACS had attended the house three times in as many months prior to October and had even paid to have the home extensively cleaned and fumigated, however it returned to its filthy state within weeks of each visit.
A FACS report tendered to the court said the children’s risk of neglect was rated at 9 out of 10.
However when asked by FACS about the state of the house, the mother appeared full of excuses.
“I’m sure every home has a problem with mould,” she responded when asked about the presence of the health hazard in the bathroom.
She was equally as dismissive when questioned about cockroaches seen crawling on the childrens’ bedding. “You can’t tell me no house has cockroaches,” she retorted.
And finally, when asked if she felt the current state of the house was okay for the children to be living in, she had a one word response: “yeah”.
The mother was charged with one count each of neglecting a young person in care and taking action that results in health/physical damage, to which she pleaded guilty in court on Thursday.
She had been due to be sentenced at 2pm however left the courthouse at lunchtime and did not return for the afternoon’s proceedings.
Magistrate Douglass adjourned the case to Friday for sentencing. The woman is not required to turn up to court, nor is she expected to.
