A toddler walked on her tiptoes all the time because the house she lived in had a foot-high layer of rubbish on its floor, a court has heard. Police were called to the house in Dingwall, Scotland because it was so dirty a postman thought it had been ransacked.
Officers found bags of rubbish lying in the living room and a pile of dirty nappies behind the bathroom door. A couple were put on probation after they admitted exposing the toddler and their baby to unnecessary suffering.
Dingwall Sheriff Court was told razors, scissors, medicine and tablets were scattered about and within easy reach of the children. The parents, who are aged in their late 20s but cannot be named for legal reasons, allowed clothes, toys and bags of rubbish to accumulate to the extent that there was little or no immediate floor space to walk on.
Soiled nappies were found behind the bathroom door, an old nappy was within a bag of rubbish in the bath, and a pile of debris at least a foot in height was on the floor. The couple failed to clean any of the rooms and bags containing rubbish and old food were in the living room. They admitted a charge of wilful neglect and failing to provide a safe place to sleep for the children between May and November last year.
Defence lawyer Eilidh Macdonald, representing the mother, said: "Her position is that she is horrified and embarrassed. "She said at the time that she did not realise how serious the state of the house was. But, looking back, she realises why everyone is extremely upset and why the charge has come before the court."
Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen said the offence was very serious and a period of supervision was required to ensure they did not repeat it. The couple were put on two years probation.
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