A family of eight lived surrounded by dog poop in a horror house that has been compared to a “Victorian slum”.
Police have visited the Wirral property several times over the years and were shocked by what they found, including a bathroom full of used sanitary products.
Although the House of Secrets was reported to Social Services in 2018, action wasn’t taken until that year when officials revisited the property.
The parents of the six youths were arrested and admitted to child cruelty, reports the LiverpoolEcho.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that police had been called into an argument between the couple and entered the property earlier this year.
The police found dog poop, dirty diapers and more in the disgusting house
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Prosecutor of the Crown)
Trevor Parry-Jones, prosecutor, said, “What they have faced can only be described as a scene of unspeakable misery, reminiscent of the Victorian slum era rather than the 21st century.”
He added, “The officials may have generously described it as disgusting.”
Mr Parry-Jones said the rubbish was “strewn” throughout the house, the children’s bunk beds and bedrooms were “gross” and there was “dog poop in abundance” on both floors.
He said: “The bathroom was unusable, the toilet dirty, not cleaned in a long time, and rodent infestation.”
The officers called for help, evacuated the children and asked another patrol to bring food, clean clothes and new diapers.
The bathroom was labeled “dirty and disgusting” by prosecutors
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Prosecutor of the Crown)
Both parents were arrested and questioned.
The father accepted that conditions in the house were “very bad” and that the children “could have been injured,” but claimed that he had cleaned up about a month earlier.
The mother – who like her partner said she had worked “a very long time” – confessed that the bathroom had not been used “for years”.
She revealed that the house was only a takeaway and they had a large dog, which made conditions worse.
Mr. Parry-Jones said: “She accepted that, according to her words, the house was abominable.”
Photos shown in court showed a bedroom in “complete chaos” with discarded cans, plastic trays and packaging.
A second photo showed a bottle of bleach and dog poop on the floor.
Mr. Parry-Jones said, “The officers described the feces as ubiquitous and gross”.
One of the children said the house was “an absolute dump” and “not habitable”
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Prosecutor of the Crown)
School uniforms were kept in a room with old plastic bottles, garbage bags, and pot noodle bins on the floor.
Mr. Parry-Jones said, “Officials said the house was abundant in used and soiled diapers – they were simply thrown away everywhere.”
Prosecutors described the bathroom as “dirty and disgusting” and found “rodent droppings”.
He said: “The bathroom again is almost unbelievable in this condition. It was used as a garbage dump. “
The court heard that the hallway was full of rubbish, the kitchen was “devastated”, a washing machine door was missing, and the floor was covered with remains of takeaways and mouse droppings.
The living room was not carpeted and the floor was covered with rubbish again, as was the staircase, which caused tripping and “fire hazards” while dangerous electrical outlets were “burnt out”.
Mr Parry-Jones said the children’s rooms were “dirty” and that in a drawer “one of the rodents that caused the feces was dead”.
He read a statement from one of the children who said the house was “an absolute dump” and “not habitable”.
The victim said there was no running water, there was trash everywhere and “dog poop everywhere” which was “gross”.
He said the house had been like this “for a long time” and that “no one should live there”.
The bath was used as a “dump”, heard Liverpool Crown Court
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Prosecutor of the Crown)
The victim said, “I would say that both of my parents are to blame for these conditions. We just need help. “
Mr Parry-Jones said neither of the parents – both of whom had criminal records – asked for help despite knowing the house was “dangerous”, “unsanitary” and “a real health risk to each of the children”.
He said the children had been placed in “interim care” but “some might be very surprised” to hear that the authorities were involved and had raised concerns “for many years”.
The court heard that the condition of the house was first checked in 2010, and when police were present in 2013, they described it as “unsanitary and dirty,” which was “reported to the authorities.”
The charity Catch 22 described the house as “very poor” in 2015; when police visited the site in 2017 because some of the children were out of school, they said it was “not dirty, but poor”; and after two visits in 2018, “the police expressed concern about living conditions to social services”.
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At the time, officials said the house was “in poor condition, there was a layer of dirt, no washing facilities, rubbish and mouse droppings, and the bathroom is full of used sanitary products.”
Mr. Parry-Jones said: “As a result of the police disclosure of this information, a child welfare worker participated and did not rate the conditions as bad.”
He said “luckily” the disorder brought officials inside again earlier this year.
However, he said, “The persons who caused this are not the authority – the cause lies in the direct inaction or passive actions of both defendants.
“There is practically no escape from that.”
Liverpool’s chief judge called for answers on the well-being of the children and what measures were being taken to protect them – after it emerged 10 years ago that social services were first made aware of problems in the home.
A judge ordered welfare reports on all children
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Prosecutor of the Crown)
Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said he had received no evidence of the effects on the children.
Mr. Parry-Jones said, “The bottom line is that the children grew up in absolutely appalling conditions and that must have had an impact on them.”
He said it was not clear “how to do schoolwork, how to do something, how to survive”.
Judge Menary said he needed information on the condition of each child once they have been taken into custody; whether they have suffered physical or emotional harm; and how their life has been affected.
He said: “It might be surprising that social services have not taken any action. It could be a symptom of the phenomenon that social services are setting the bar too low in their expectations of parental skills. I just don’t know the position. “
The judge added, “One would hope if the plan is to return the children.” [to their parents] There is a support package that social services have considered because given the condition of the property it would be hard to believe that the children would return without it. “
Christopher McMaster, who defended the mother, said social services working with Catch 22 eventually offered assistance.
He said, “I have been told by my lay customer that they have helped a lot, but funding has been cut and support has been taken away.”
Frank Dillon, who defended the father, accepted the description of the conditions in the house.
However, he said, “The other side of the coin is, how can legal systems that are supposed to intervene in these circumstances fail these children like this?”
He said the defense required “chapters and verses” on the involvement of the authorities because while his client accepted his responsibilities, “opportunities were missed”.
Judge Menary said, “It is surprising, if the social services had visited this house for a fleeting moment, they would have concluded that something was seriously wrong.”
The judge ordered welfare reports for all children.
He said that this must include details of social services contacts with the family over the years, including “whether the lack of long-term involvement was due to a lack of parental cooperation or an assessment at the time that” it was unnecessary “.
The parents cannot be named due to reporting restrictions to protect the identity of the innocent children.
The parents, who both confessed to child abuse, will be sentenced in November.
