Two children aged six and seven barely able to walk and talk have been rescued from a squalid home, with ‘iPad’ being one of the only words they know.
They were found inside a flat in Hounslow last February alongside rubbish and used nappies inside a flat in Hounslow.
The only words they could say were ‘iPad’, ‘Fruitella’ and ‘Maryland’, in reference to the cookies.
Investigators believe they were strapped to furniture including high chairs for long periods of time.
The children were not toilet trained and walked on the balls of their feet as their toes were spread out.
They were wearing clothes for three-year-olds, shared a single shoe and suffered from eczema.
Police were alerted by a supermarket delivery driver, but it was found Hounslow social services had received five reports since 2023.
These included neighbors, the children’s father, their aunt and a dentist.
The aunt described the flat as ‘filthy, dark, with taped windows, no sunlight, and drawings on the walls’.
A report said: ‘They did not recognize stairs and on a normal shopping experience, they did not know how to use escalators or lifts.’
The ‘articulate’ mum was said to deliberately distract social services, made ‘unchecked’ allegations of domestic abuse, and insisted she was homeschooling the children.
This influenced social services’ handling of the case, and isolated the children from their father throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since moving in with their aunt, they are now capable of forming short sentences.
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Hounslow Council said: ‘The council participated fully in this review and accepted the findings and recommendations.
‘The review was triggered by events in early 2025, and improvements that had already been made were acknowledged in the published report. Importantly, we’d also strengthened our processes around elective home education within the existing legal framework.’
A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘This is an utterly horrific case, and we are determined to protect every child from all forms of abuse and neglect.
‘Our Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act will transform how agencies safeguard and protect children, more closely work together and share information.
‘Our statutory guidance also makes clear that neglect is a core concern for local authorities.
‘On top of this, our children’s social care reforms, backed by £2.4 billion investment, prioritises early help for families at the earliest point alongside more multi-agency and decisive child protection, as well as creating a Child Protection Authority to provide national leadership on child protection.’
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