Australian parents of 7 found guilty over putrid house

In a legal first in South Australia, two parents have been found guilty of failing to provide appropriate accommodation for their seven children. The 34-year-old woman and 33-year-old man cannot be named, to protect the identities of the children. Both had denied seven counts of failing to provide necessary accommodation for a minor. Prosecutors said it was the first time anyone had been prosecuted on that charge in SA. Adelaide Magistrates Court heard police went to the couple's eastern suburbs home on Christmas Eve in 2009 and found rubbish and clothes on floors and children sleeping on stained mattresses without other bedding. Families SA removed the children, who ranged in age from 22 months to 13 years. The father told police he was an alcoholic and drank up to four bottles of scotch per day. He said he was only looking for his next drink. In the interview, he said he spent up to 22 hours per day playing computer games. In another interview tendered to the court, the mother she had been unwell and overwhelmed. Magistrate Paul Foley said the mother had agreed the general state of the house was appalling when police attended. "The house had been in this atrocious state for many months prior to the date of the alleged offence," Mr Foley told the hearing. "The kitchen [was] in an unhygienic state, creating a risk of gastrointestinal illness for any person, but particularly a child living in the premises. "The toilet [was] not fit for use in the state it was found. "Similarly the bathroom also was not in a hygienic state, with the walls heavily stained and the surface peeling off." The court was told access was poor. "The amount of furniture, clothing, boxes and general rubbish made movement in, around and out of the house difficult," the magistrate said. "The room in which the six youngest children slept also had heavily-stained walls and, when police attended, none of the beds had proper bedding. "The mattresses were stained and, as with the rest of the house, there was a putrid smell such that experienced police officers had to leave the room for fresh air." Magistrate Foley said the standard of the house was far below what a reasonable parent would provide for the health and wellbeing of a child. "Both defendants were aware the accommodation was not necessary or sufficient for the health and wellbeing of each of the children and neither of them took any action to effectively remedy the situation," he said. There will be sentencing submissions next month.