This is the shocking squalor a father forced his three young children to live in after his partner left him – because it was “her job to clean”.
Police who raided the property found knee-high rubbish, rotting food, dog mess and even human excrement smeared on the walls.
But when challenged by officers the 37-year-old father blamed the horrific conditions on his former partner – because it was her responsibility to do the cleaning.
Officers discovered the three neglected children – all under 12 – were living amongst empty milk cartons, rotting food and broken glass, with swarms of flies in the air.
The cooker in the home in Knowle West, Bristol, was caked in grease and fresh food sat in a fridge that was filled with black mould.
Dirt covered the walls of the vile home – described by police as “the worst they had ever seen” – and every surface was thick with filth, with grime smeared on every window.
But despite the conditions – condemned as “appalling” by a judge – the lay-about dad was spared prison for neglecting his children and was given a suspended sentence.
Bristol Crown Court heard that when police first challenged the dad – who can not be named for legal reasons – he refused to let them past the front door.
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But they went back armed with cameras to capture the squalor.
Neil Treharne, prosecuting, said: “He blamed his ex-partner. He said faeces from the dog littered the house and it was her responsibility.
“He said refuse in the kitchen was from where a dog ripped a bin bag open and it was her responsibility.
“He said the state of the cooker was her fault as she was responsible for cleaning the house.
“He said he smashed glass in the microwave in a rage and could give no reason as to why it wasn’t cleared away.”
The slovenly father even blamed his kids for the mess, claiming they had refused to stop smearing faeces over the walls.
He was frequently in trouble in the past and was addicted to heroin until 2000, the court heard.
When his long-term partner left him he lost his job and started smoking cannabis causing “inertia and emotional paralysis”.
Peter Richardson, defending, said: “He is utterly ashamed of what occurred at that period of his life, and the effect upon his children.
“The photographs are not pleasant, he fully accepts that.
“His use of cannabis caused inertia and emotional paralysis.
“There is a world of difference between someone who sets out to be cruel and the result of inadequacy and a drug habit at the time.”
The dad admitted three counts of child neglect and was given a one-year prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, with a year’s supervision.
Judge Timothy Mousley QC told him: “The photographs show the circumstances in which those three young children were living.
“The conditions were appalling and you should be ashamed of yourself for letting it get into that sort of state.”
“It was associated with neglect. It was not associated with cruelty. It came about because of your inadequacies.
“You accept it came about as a result of the wreckage of the breakdown of your relationship and you went back to taking drugs.”
