Merseyside father sentenced for child neglect
A man has been given a suspended jail term for allowing his children to live in squalor in their Merseyside home.
Social workers visited the house in Orrell Park after an anonymous tip-off to an NSPCC helpline.
Liverpool Crown Court heard NSPCC investigators could not get into the living room because of piles of litter.
The 48-year-old hospital employee admitted two counts of child neglect and was given a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
The two children, aged 10 and 15, lived with their 45-year-old mother, who had already been given a two-year community order at an earlier hearing after admitting the same charges.
The court heard how the parents were separated but the father regularly visited and sometimes stayed overnight.
John Cameron, head of the NSPCC Helpline, said: "This is just one of 30,000 calls made to our helpline last year from neighbours and others worried about child neglect.
"It is a stark reminder that many children are still living in Dickensian conditions in the 21st Century - badly neglected by their parents.
"These two poor children were dirty, hungry, unsupervised and living in filthy conditions - all warning signs of neglect.
"They were saved by the council from a home described as 'unfit for human habitation' - thanks to a responsible member of the public who phoned us.
"We urge people to contact our free helpline for advice without delay if they see a child who is often hungry, dirty, left alone, missing out on medial care or regularly absent from school."