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October 5, 2012

ADVERTISING 526741 EDITORIAL 522210 www.iwcp.co.uk

Kids lived in squalor

PARENTS jailed
after their three
children
were
found living in
utter
squalor
claimed social services on the Island
had ignored their
plea for help a
claim totally denied
by the authorities.

Jailed alcoholic parents

had asked for help
By a CP reporter
editor@iwcp.co.uk

The three youngsters were

living in a home filled with
rubbish, rotting food and
broken glass, mouldy bedding, urine-stained furniture
and one of the children was
so disturbed it had smeared
its bedroom with faeces.
Their plight was discovered when police were called
when the two younger children were not collected from
school because their alcoholic parents were so drunk.
At the IW Crown Court
last Friday, the parents barrister, Richard Griffiths, said
the mother had contacted
social services for help but
had been offered no assistance because there were
more pressing needs.
But IW Council director

of community wellbeing and

social care Ian Anderson
said: While we are not prepared to go into details of
this case, it is totally untrue
to suggest this family was
refused support by social
services.
In fact, a range of support was offered between
November 2010 and May
2012. Much of this support
was, however, refused by the
family.
We will be contacting the
barrister to clarify the mitigation given in court in
respect of our involvement,
is not accepted as an accurate description.
The childrens anonymity
is protected by a court
order, which prevents the
County Press naming the
parents.
A full report of the court
case appears on page 2.

The filthy sitting room with urine-soaked furniture and, left, one of the
bedrooms with rubbish strewn over the floor where, three children were
forced to live in squalid conditions. CONTRIBUTED

Couple rescued after

falling from cliffs
TWO people were dramatically rescued from
the beach at Freshwater
Bay on Tuesday night,
after falling from the
cliffs above.
The man and woman
believed to be a married couple from Newport fell
from the cliffs near the
Albion Hotel shortly before
7pm, sparking a rescue operation involving the Solent
Coastguard and Needles
Cliff Rescue Team, plus fire,
police and ambulance crews.
It was initially believed a
car had plummeted over the
cliffs but it later emerged the
couple had been walking
along a narrow cliff path
when they slipped and fell
about 25ft to the beach
below.
The woman was airlifted
to Southampton General
Hospital with arm, back and

Rescuers at the top of the cliffs at Freshwater

where a couple fell on Tuesday night. 1012-p54774
chest injuries. The man was
assessed by paramedics at the
scene but did not need treatment and was able to drive
home.
Ray Morey, of the Needles
Cliff Rescue Team, said: We
were initially told a car had
gone over the edge but we

found out, although the couple had a car, it was still

parked at the top of the cliff.
We think they had walked
to the edge of the cliff and it
had either given way or they
slipped.
Cont. on page 2

Call for Branson to buy ferry firm page 5

Damien
family
welcome
reward
THE mother of missing
teenager Damien Nettles has
welcomed a 20,000 police
reward for information
leading to his location.
As the 16th anniversary of
his disappearance from
Cowes, on November 2,
approaches, police hope the
reward could lead to key
information being
uncovered.
Valerie Nettles, said the
investigation had been
stepped up in recent years
but said it was ridiculous it
had taken police so long to
offer a reward.
Im assuming the police
felt compelled to do it after
we, as a family, started
fundraising to offer our own
reward, she said.
Senior investigating officer
Supt Dave Powell, who took
over the case in 2010, said it
had been important to
analyse existing information
before offering a reward for
new leads.
Full story on page 5.