The couple’s 5 children ‘suffered terribly’ at the hands of their parents, with one child left permanently damaged by a severe urinary tract infection.
The children lived in ‘filthy, smelly’ conditions and slept in a room which ‘stank of animal faeces.’
The level of neglect did not become apparent to care workers until the couple’s youngest child was admitted to hospital suffering from sever nappy rash.
One teacher reportedly claims that she ‘could not stand’ the smell of one of the children and had to walk away from her. One of the daughter’s teachers went as far as to wash the girl’s clothes herself when the smell became too overwhelming.
Prosecutor Kerry Barker said in court: ‘The officers were shocked that children had been allowed to live in those conditions. And, of course, that was two months after the children had been removed.’
The unemployed couple received benefits to help them care for the children, but were found by the court to have failed in their duty towards their children.
The couple were due to be sentenced on Friday but attempted to take their own lives in a drugs overdose on Thursday night. They were treated in hospital before undergoing psychological analysis ahead of their sentencing earlier this week.
Judge Tabor said when jailing the couple, who cannot be named due to legal reasons: ‘This is not a case of deliberate hurtful behaviour and assault but one of wilful neglect.’