Parents blamed their children for poor living conditions after faeces found smeared on the walls, a court heard.
The Merseyside parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons because it would identify the children, were visited by social services three times in April last year. Prosecuting, Chris Hopkins, told Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, May 30, the parents lived at home with their children who were all under the age of 16, one of whom had a disability.
Upon visiting the home, the social worker found the youngest children were not potty trained and were wearing nappies "day and night". The court heard there was a toddler mattress on the floor of one bedroom with no duvet or bed sheets, exposed floor boards and there was faeces on several walls.
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Mr Hopkins told the court there had been a "strong smell of urine" in various parts of the house as well as a full potty in one of the rooms. Despite a few toys, there were no other items as such and there was broken furniture upstairs that posed a threat to the children.
Mr Hopkins added that the mum of the children was "aggressive and argumentative" towards the social worker, in front of the children and on one occasion said: "You can take them, I've had enough."
On another unannounced visit, the court heard that one of the children had been "locked in a room" and the parents had "made no improvements" to the upstairs area. Mr Hopkins added that both parents "put blame on the children" and "spoke negatively about them" as they said the children were "out of control".
At one point, when asked to clean a lightbulb, the dad used one of the children's toothbrushes. Mr Hopkins said both parents claimed they "had not neglected their children." At one point, it was heard a razor had been left out, harming a child, to which the mum replied they "won't do it again".
The court heard there was "evidence of fundamental failure", to which His Honour Judge Flewitt KC replied: "It's not just failure to understand because they were offered advice and support and rejected it."
Mr Hopkins said the children no longer live with the parents and were now "happy and content". He added they had been "very excited about having comfortable beds".
Defence counsel for the mum, Mr Michael Hagerty, said there had been a deterioration of family circumstances due to the lockdown, however the judge said this was "grossly offensive to the parents who looked after children in lockdown".
Mr Hagerty added the mum, who appeared emotional in the dock, accepted her behaviour amounted to neglect and therefore cruelty and said she "didn't know how to parent properly". He added: "The saddest thing of all is she accepts these children will be happier now."
Defence counsel for the dad, Ms Bernice Campbell, told the court that he describes himself as a "bad person" and misses his children as she added: "He has low mental views of what he's capable of."
Judge Flewitt said the home accommodation was "inadequate" and both parents were "blaming the children". He added: "You were prior to, and throughout, offered advice and support which you rejected or ignored."
Addressing the parents, who sat in the dock, Judge Flewitt said they could not rely on "ignorance or inadequacy, given the support offered to you". He said: "It's a source of some relief those children are in foster care, they are cared for, they are happy."
He went on to say: "You had no understanding, and in fact, no intention of understanding the needs or welfare of those children."
The judge, who gave both parents a 15 month custodial sentence, added: "The reality is, you were together in that house with joint responsibility for looking after those children."
He said an immediate custodial sentence was needed to "punish you and act as a general deterrent to other people who care for children."
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