Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Cruel dad who left five kids in squalid house of horror had boasted of changing lives

A dad sent to prison after five children under 12 were found to be living in "squalor" in his vile, smelly home previously spoke of his dedication to changing the lives of young people.

Lee Carnell, 32, and his ex-girlfriend Sarah Lamb, 33, both admitted to a string of child cruelty offences which involved five children, four girls and a boy after authorities exposed a house of horrors in a 2019 raid when the alarm was raised.

They were stunned to find human excrement smeared on walls next to toothbrushes, dirty nappies everywhere, a foul smell and and a plague of flies.

In degrading scenes of squalor, authorities also found mouldy food scattered around the chaotic property, glass on the floor, and only four beds for seven people.

The selfish parents smoked cannabis in front of the kids after spending £40 a week on weed, the court heard.

He said in a 2019 interview that he wanted to help children whose lives had gone off-track (Richard Addison)

But speaking to HullLive months before the harrowing find, Carnell gushed about he had changed his life after sleeping rough as a kid.

He told how he grew up in care from the age of seven and by the time he was 17 he was in and out of jail but, after several years on the streets battling drug addiction, he said his life changed when he met his partner, Lamb.

He previously gushed about how she had "changed his life" and encouraged him to sign up for Mixed Martial Arts training. He said he couldn't stay away from the gym.

He said he felt inspired to help young people who had similar struggles to him, saying: “I want to tell youngsters that it doesn’t matter what’s in front of you.

Months before, he told how he had found a new focus after taking up MMA (Richard Addison)

"It matters what you can put forward and in place because you’ve got to keep going and moving forward.

“Younger people only need to ask for help and I want to prove that if you do you will get it. All you have to do is ask. Believe in yourself because if you don’t you will never know what you want.”

Carnell's wicked actions could not be any further from his gushing words.

His and Lamb's crimes included assaulting a girl and banning a boy from using the bathroom at night, forcing him to urinate in his room.

But the sinister actions of Carnell and Sarah Lamb could not be any further from the lies (HullLive)

The eldest girl, not named, had nearly been punched in the face by Carnell, a mixed martial arts fighter, but the blow had missed and hit a wall, creating a hole.

The teeth of one of the girls were "grossly decayed" - and were in a "dismal" state.

Police said the couple's sustained neglect left the children's physical and mental health severely affected.

There had missed numerous medical appointments, their eyes had not been tested and they were not up to date with vaccinations.

They had poor school records and were up to 18 months or two years behind where they should be in their progress.

Carnell, who pleaded guilty at a very late stage, was jailed for two years. His ex-girlfriend Lamb, of Wexford Avenue, Hull, was jailed for 18 months.

Richard Thompson, prosecuting, said that the case "involved multiple incidents of serious neglect."

He said: "It is neglect over years, not weeks. It's neglect of their emotional needs.

Carnell spoke before about transforming his life (HullLive)

"For these children, moving on is going to take many years in terms of the physical harm they have suffered and, more importantly, the emotional harm they have suffered.

"These are still children with very serious problems that they are going to live with for many years."

Judge Peter Kelson QC told them in court: "The pair of you were responsible for bringing up these five children and your neglect of them was such that they suffered badly.

"All five children were 18 months behind in their development. The prosecution contend that this is serious neglect.

Lamb was jailed for 18 months as the pair were brought to justice (Humberside Police)

"It's plainly a case of the utmost gravity. In so many ways, these children have been damaged and damaged badly.

"It's an assault without a beating in many ways. It's assault by neglect. Appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody.

"This is a case requiring a deterrent sentence. It's a case where parenting has fallen so far below the acceptable standard."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.