Denny parents' filthy home caused child unnecessary suffering
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Both in their early 20s, the parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having admitted causing their child unnecessary suffering and exposing him to risk of injury by allowing dog urine and faeces to accumulate in the kitchen floor and living area of their Denny home on November 18 last year.
Karen Chambers, procurator fiscal depute, said: “The child began attending nursery school when he was two years of age and was assigned to early years officers. From first contact with the child it was obvious he was turning up in an unkempt condition in dirty clothes.
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Hide Ad"They were also aware he did not smell clean and on one occasion he had dog dirt over his shoes and attended with heavily weighted nappies. The head teacher of the school made contact with social work, who attempted to make checks at the child’s home address.
"They attempted a number of visits but could not make contact with the accused. Police then attended at the address with social work and one of the accused said she wanted to put her dinner on and didn’t want police within the house.
"Officers could smell dog excrement and urine and could hear a dog barking within the house. They saw the stairs did not have a baby gate for safety and there were flies throughout the room, as well as bags of rubbish on the floor.”
Simon Hutchison, defence solicitor, representing one of the parents, said: “My client is a first offender and was in a new relationship with a young child.”
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Hide AdSheriff Derek Livingston said the parents had done the “right things” since the offence and he noted they had got rid of the dog.
He added: “They seem to have a handle on what they have to do to bring up a child properly.”
Mr Hutchison agreed, adding: “They have now cleaned up their act.”
It was stated the child was now back with his parents.
Sheriff Livingston placed the couple on a structured deferred sentence for six months for them to be of good behaviour in that time.