Kids with rotten teeth and infected wounds living in house of horrors with faeces on the walls

A mother has appeared in court after her young children were found with rotten teeth and infected woundsfrom living in afilthy home with human waste smeared across the walls.

The woman - who can't be named to protect her childrens' identities - told the court she has "concluded that her children will be better off, and have better life chances,living in the care of others rather than in her care" through her advocate at Swansea Crown Court last week.

Over a number of months, the children routinely missed school, where teachers noticed they were turning up wearing dirty clothes with having an "overwhelming" body odour. Often, they would not have eaten breakfast before going to school.

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The school made numerous visits to the family home, but the mother was reluctant to engage and wouldn't let them into her property. Staff would sometimes look through the windows and see the children sitting at home when they should've been at school.

In July 2023, a social worker reported seeing faeces smeared across the walls and floors. The mother was given a deadline to have it cleaned up the following day, but on their return they found the situation had worsened so they contacted the police.

The court heard that social workers and detectives entered the house later the same day and found faeces on the walls, mouldy food on plates, dirty mattresses, and generally dirty, messy, and unhygienic conditions. The children found in the house were taken into the care of social services, reports Wales Online.

The prosecutor said when the youngsters were medically examined. Two were found to have "significant" dental decay, with one of the children requiring emergency surgery to remove rotten teeth. One child was found to have infected lesions on her body from untreated chickenpox - medics were unable to say what caused large lesions which were covered in bandages - while another had infected abscises on his arm. A number of the children were unwashed and unkempt.

In her subsequent police interview the mum admitted she had been struggling but did not accept the children were neglected.

The woman, who is in her 40s, had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of ill-treating a child when she appeared in the dock for sentencing. She had no previous convictions.

Andrew Evans, for the defendant, said in the spring and summer of 2023 the woman had been incapable of looking after herself never mind her children after her long-term partner had left her "in unusual circumstances". He told the court his client had reflected on her life and circumstances and come to a "very sad" conclusion.

He said: "She has reflected that she is not able to care for her children in the way they deserve. She has now concluded that her children and better off, and have better life chances, living in the care of others rather than in her care. For a mother to conclude her children are better off without her is very sad".

The advocate added that the two-year delay in the matter coming to court was "unconscionable", and he said the defendant had indicated to him and to the Probation Service that she was prepared to work with whatever agencies the court deemed appropriate.

Judge Catherine Richards said the court would be "perfectly justified" in sending the defendant straight to prison but said she was satisfied based on everything she had read that there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. She said immediate custody would also mean the mother would not be able to continue with supervised contact with the children, and she said it was the welfare of the children that was her primary concern.

With one-third discounts for her guilty pleas the defendant was sentenced to 20 months in prison for each offence to run concurrently and suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to complete a rehabilitation course.

The judge said she was "very concerned" about the two-year delay in the case for which she had not been provided with an explanation, and she said she wanted the matter raised with the officer in the case.