On Friday 4th November two defendants received six years imprisonment each for child cruelty, for the wilful neglect of 7 children in their care between September 2019 and June 2021 following earlier pleas of guilty.
Amy Packham told Lewes Crown Court that in June 2021 the police were called to their home address . When officers entered the house, only one of the children was present, a 7 year old. She was asleep on a sofa in the living room wearing only a nappy. Also present in that room were 35 live dogs and one dead dog. Officers noted she had faeces over her skin and her hair was matted.
The home was strewn with discarded clothing, litter, rotting food and animal faeces with little to no food in the cupboards.
The other children were located nearby and the four youngest ones taken into the care of children’s services. All had rotten teeth and the youngest children lacked basic social skills. They did not know how to brush their teeth, wash themselves or eat with a knife and fork. They hadn’t been attending school and were registered as being home schooled.
One of the children had to be put under general anaesthetic to remove 13 dangerously decayed teeth, while another was only discovered to be blonde after their hair was washed several times. A second girl was so weak that she was unsteady on her feet and acted as if she had never had to interact with people outside her household before.