2006: NICOLA HILLIER JAILED FOR CHILD NEGLECT
Three young boys were subjected to “Dickensian” conditions by their parents, Jonathan Bush and Nicola Hillier, which left the children starving, filthy, and living in “sheer hell”, Norwich Crown Court has heard.Bush and Hillier, both 24, of Rye Avenue, Norwich, were jailed for nine months after admitting three offences of causing unnecessary suffering over a long period to the three children all under five.
The appalling conditions at the family home were discovered by a health worker.
The children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were found to be malnourished and wearing ill-fitting filthy clothes.
They were also found wearing dirty nappies which were so badly soiled they hung around their knees, and health visitors reported needing to change them frequently.
The court heard that one boy was so hungry he tried to eat frozen meat, another was seen picking a cracker out of an ashtray full of cigarette butts.
The children played in a garden full of dog feces and had access to a shed with dangerous tools.
Broken glass was inside the house, and one child suffered cuts.
Shoes were too large, causing children to often be barefoot, and at times, two children were left in a room naked with no heating.
One child chipped his collarbone after being left on a sofa, and there was an unguarded fire in the living room, with one boy having burns.
A liquid Paracetamol bottle was seen in a child's hand, and a kitchen knife was also found.
The children couldn't talk properly, often crying and whimpering.
Despite the filth, Bush's work uniform was found washed and ironed.
Both parents claimed the neglect was due to financial pressures and inability to cope, with Hillier suffering from depression.
The judge emphasized that neglect must result in prison sentences and described the conditions as 'Dickensian'.
