Inside squalid home of sick couple who left kids as young as 4 living in 'repugnant' conditions surrounded by 36 dogs | The Sun

SHOCKING photos show the squalid house of horrors where seven children were rescued after being neglected by a feckless couple.

Kids aged between four and 17 were forced to share the filthy three-bedroom home with 36 dogs.

One of the children, aged seven, was found by police wearing just a nappy and covered in animal faeces asleep on a sofa near a dead dog.

Officers only discovered another of the kids had blonde hair after it was washed several times, while the rest all had rotten teeth.

Homeowners Christopher Bennett, 35, and Gemma Brogan, 41, squandered their £7,000-a-month benefits instead of spending money on the children.

They have now been jailed for six years each after they admitted seven counts of child neglect.

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Lewes Crown Court heard police were called to home in Eastbourne after Bennett phoned 999 claiming he was going to stab Brogan.

Bodycam footage shows police wrestling through the hoard of dogs, who were desperate to escape, into the disgusting house.

They found the house reeking of dog waste with "little or no food" in the fridge and filthy bedding.

Bennett can be seen yelling "you're having a laugh" at police as they lead him away from the house on suspicion of child neglect.

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Prosecutor Amy Packham said: "The dogs were incredibly loud. They were all trying to get out.

“The baby was asleep on the sofa even in all that noise.

"The seven children have been subjected to prolonged and serious neglect, serious cruelty and deliberate disregard for their welfare.

“They suffered serious psychological and developmental harm."

Children's services carers found the youngest children did not know how to wash or brush their teeth.

They were all underweight, pale and could not sit at a table or use a knife or fork.

One child was so neglected she was unsteady on her feet, was incredibly weak, displayed bizarre eating habits and had no social skills.

Another had to visit a dentist to have 13 rotten teeth removed, while one could not read or write and did not know the weeks or months of the year.

'REPUGNANT'

The court was told the couple, who had a "toxic relationship", paid £1,600-a-month in mortgage repayments.

Schools in the area had extensive records of concerns for the children.

All the children have now been rehoused with the youngest ones learning mobility and social skills.

Bennett and Brogan previously pleaded guilty to animal cruelty.

Detective Constable Fiona Ashcroft of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Upon entering the address, our officers were shocked about the state of the property and had major concerns for the welfare of all the children.

“The stench, as you entered the hallway hit officers hard – they were not able to breath normally due to the stench.

“The state of the whole house was shocking and repugnant – it was cluttered and was strewn with discarded clothing, litter, rotting food and animal faeces.

“It looked as if it had been filthy for a number of years.

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“It is impossible to paint an accurate picture of the full extent of degradation and filth these vulnerable children had to endure.

“It is unequivocally one of the most awful addresses I have ever been in."

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