Kids had to eat 'floor food', lived in squalor in 'shocking' neglect case

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to child neglect and animal cruelty.

Four children were forced to live in squalor in an unsafe house and were left to eat “floor food” due to their mother’s neglect.

However, the woman, who is aged in her 40s but legally unable to be named, had almost all her charges of child neglect and animal cruelty dismissed by the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday (6 August) due to her mental health impairments.

Between September 2021 and January 2022, she and her four children, who were all under the age of 10, lived in a Housing ACT property.

Over that period, the outside of the home was seen covered in rubbish; indoors, curtains were black with mould, there was virtually no edible food in the house, the fridge had been filthy, and a back door was inaccessible due to dirty laundry.

When an inspector arrived to look at the property, he began gagging due to the smell of rotten food and faeces and had to wear face masks.

Inside, he slipped on slime and water on the floor, saw food caked onto the stove and couldn’t see the carpet due to the amount of stuff over it. He couldn’t access some rooms as the mess was piled so high, saw water under the house and slipped outside, nearly impaling himself on a piece of sharp metal that was sticking out of the ground.

He reported that $113,000-worth of repairs would be required to fix the property.

Housing workers had to wear personal protective gear to enter the property. They saw faeces embedded in the floor, a lounge covered in dirt and stains, bedrooms full of rubbish, dirty mattresses, no bedding, pillows, cutlery or cooking equipment, and benches covered in dishes and food.

Meanwhile, a leak at the property resulted in the water being shut off, and Housing ACT moved the woman and her children into a hotel.

She left behind two dogs in the backyard without food or water. Rangers rescued the animals about a month later and reported the pair were seen eating food “like there was no tomorrow”.

Within a couple of months after the woman had moved into the hotel, eggs were dropped onto the floor, margarine was spread over beds, there were drawings on walls, clutter, faeces on every towel, rotten food in the fridge and one toothbrush shared between five people.

After the woman was arrested, her children told police their mother would often not feed them, and they would have to eat “floor food”, where they would eat candies or anything else they found on the floor.

Also, they said when they couldn’t find shoes to wear they stepped on glass and pins in the house, there were mice and cockroaches everywhere, they had pet dogs who died because their mother didn’t feed them and one of them, who was aged eight, sometimes had to cook them all dinner.

The woman’s lawyer, Darryl Perkins, told the Magistrates Court that it was clear his client had mental illnesses that were likely to require ongoing psychiatric support, and he asked for her charges to be dismissed.

The court heard she had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, Autism and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Perkins said his client admitted that the issues at the house and hotel were her fault but said that at the time, “she just couldn’t cope”.

Magistrate Jane Campbell said the photos taken of the house were “shocking, to say the least”, and it was “difficult to imagine” children had lived in those conditions.

“The children have lived in a condition that was completely unsafe,” she said.

“I expect the children will have ongoing psychological trauma from that experience.”

But Magistrate Campbell said the woman’s conduct was more consistent with her significant decline in her mental health rather than any criminal intention.

She said it was appropriate to dismiss the woman’s eight charges of neglecting a child and one count of failing to provide appropriate care for an animal.

However, the woman pleaded guilty to and was convicted of one count of failing to provide appropriate care for an animal, as the magistrate said she presented a risk to any animals who may be in her care.

She was sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour order on that single charge and banned from owning animals for three years.

The woman no longer cares for her children.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact:

Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis support line – 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800 or kidshelpline.com.au
MensLine Australia – 1300 789 978.