Police entered the unlocked flat in Cardiff and found five children with no adult present – the youngest, a two-year-old, had faeces in their hair and on their legs
A two-year-old was found ‘covered in faeces’ after being left unsupervised while their mum was at work, a court heard.
Five children were discovered at the flat in Cardiff this year after police were requested to do a welfare check by social services. The youngest child, who was aged two years old, was discovered wearing a soiled nappy and with faeces in their hair and on their legs. Police found the front door unlocked and open, a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard on Tuesday, and the five children, aged between 15 and two years old, were seen sleeping on mattresses with no bedding or duvets.
No adult was present in the flat, with items found strewn throughout the property and several areas in a clear state of disrepair, reports North Wales Live.
CCTV footage played to the court by prosecutor Sol Hartley showed the poor conditions the children and the flat had been left in. The defendant returned home at 9.44am, having gone to work as a cleaner at 6am that morning, the court heard.
Shortly afterwards children were taken into the care of social services and were removed from their mother, who was taken into police custody and interviewed.
The mum told police she was struggling with her life and conceded she had been neglectful for leaving her 15-year-old child to care for their four siblings, and for leaving the front door open. She also said that she needed to go to work or she would lose her job.
The defendant later pleaded guilty to five counts of assaulting, ill treating, or neglecting a child.
The court heard there had previously been social services involvement with the defendant due to concerns about her children’s diet, their appearance, missed appointments and her alcohol consumption.
In mitigation, Alice Sykes said her client had “struggled to come to terms” with the position she had found herself in and described her mental health as “fragile”.
It was said the defendant had witnessed domestic abuse as a child, was emotionally and physically abused by her parents and suffered domestic violence at the hands of two previous partners.
Sentencing, Judge Paul Hobson said viewing the footage in court had been “upsetting” and the welfare risks to the children were obvious.
The defendant was sentenced to an 18-month community order with a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement and an alcohol monitoring requirement of 12 months.