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| Woman guilty of child cruelty in Oxfordshire after rodent torment | Woman guilty of child cruelty in Oxfordshire after rodent torment |
| (25 days later) | |
| The jury heard the children were beaten with belts and suffered a "living hell", the court heard | The jury heard the children were beaten with belts and suffered a "living hell", the court heard |
| A woman who abused children, letting "rat-like creatures" crawl over them and locking them up, has been found guilty of 13 counts of child cruelty. | A woman who abused children, letting "rat-like creatures" crawl over them and locking them up, has been found guilty of 13 counts of child cruelty. |
| Elsie Wheddon, 71, also allowed her late husband, Stephen, to sexually abuse two children and used one victim's head as a mop to clean up urine, Oxford Crown Court was told. | Elsie Wheddon, 71, also allowed her late husband, Stephen, to sexually abuse two children and used one victim's head as a mop to clean up urine, Oxford Crown Court was told. |
| The jury heard the children suffered a "living hell". | The jury heard the children suffered a "living hell". |
| Wheddon, from Warwickshire, will be sentenced at a later date. | Wheddon, from Warwickshire, will be sentenced at a later date. |
| Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said the children suffered an "unforgettable ordeal" at the hands of Wheddon and her husband in Oxfordshire in the mid-1970s. | Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said the children suffered an "unforgettable ordeal" at the hands of Wheddon and her husband in Oxfordshire in the mid-1970s. |
| He was charged with offences but took his own life on the day of his first planned court appearance, the prosecutor added. | He was charged with offences but took his own life on the day of his first planned court appearance, the prosecutor added. |
| 'Burnt with a lighter' | 'Burnt with a lighter' |
| "Rat-like creatures would be put on them [the children] and allowed to crawl on them and bite them," he continued. | "Rat-like creatures would be put on them [the children] and allowed to crawl on them and bite them," he continued. |
| The children were also hit or beaten with belts and locked in a bedroom, a cupboard or an attic, the court heard. | The children were also hit or beaten with belts and locked in a bedroom, a cupboard or an attic, the court heard. |
| One child was burned with a cigarette lighter, Mr Walsh told the jury. | One child was burned with a cigarette lighter, Mr Walsh told the jury. |
| Wheddon also allowed her husband to sexually abuse the children on several occasions. | Wheddon also allowed her husband to sexually abuse the children on several occasions. |
| Mr Walsh said social workers were involved at the time and their lack of intervention "given what they knew... remains a mystery". | Mr Walsh said social workers were involved at the time and their lack of intervention "given what they knew... remains a mystery". |
| The allegations were formally presented to the police in 2019 when one victim felt they were in the "right headspace", the court heard. | The allegations were formally presented to the police in 2019 when one victim felt they were in the "right headspace", the court heard. |
| Adjourning sentencing, the judge, Mr Recorder Stuart Trimmer, said a "substantial custodial sentence" was "almost inevitable". | Adjourning sentencing, the judge, Mr Recorder Stuart Trimmer, said a "substantial custodial sentence" was "almost inevitable". |
| Remanding Wheddon in custody, he told her: "I have observed you over the course of the trial and... you are not well. | Remanding Wheddon in custody, he told her: "I have observed you over the course of the trial and... you are not well. |
| "The only safe place for you to be kept is in custody." | "The only safe place for you to be kept is in custody." |
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