Parents charged after child found covered in faeces

A Corporate Area couple have been charged with neglect after their children were reportedly left alone at home, with one of the children being found in a barrel covered in faeces.

The couple were made the subjects of a fingerprint order on Wednesday when they appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court before Parish Judge Carlo Mason.

It was alleged that on June 24, police were responding to reports made about five children being abandoned in a home. The police, upon arrival at the premises, noticed that the gates were closed from the inside and beckoned to a girl to open them. The child allegedly ran from the police and jumped a nearby fence, fleeing the premises.

Eventually, the police gained entry to the premises and inside the house, two children were seen sitting on a bed, another was lying under the bed, and the other was found in a barrel, covered in faeces and wrapped in a sheet. The children are said to be ages seven, three, two and seven-months-old. They were removed from the premises and placed in the custody of the State.

According to the report, when the children were removed from the home, they were observed to be frail and even though they were showered twice, the scent of their faeces still remained.

The parents are to return to court on September 26, when the matter is set for mention.