Vile pair given 6 years for letting Lauren, 2 , die in filth
HEARTLESS PARENTS ARE CAGED
BY GRANT McCABE THE vile parents of a tragic toddler who died due to horrific neglect have each been jailed for more than six years.
Margaret Wade, 38, and Marie Sweeney, 37, left Lauren Wade to starve to death at their filthy flat in Glasgow’s Sighthill.
A judge heard how the two-year-old went without proper food or care for months and was riddled with thousands of head lice.
Wade later told police she had “no guilt” over her daughter’s death.
Wade and Sweeney were yesterday sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow.
The jobless pair – who had been accused of killing Lauren – had earlier pled guilty to the reduced charge of neglecting the toddler between June 2014 and March 2015.
They also admitted neglecting two other children between 2007 and 2015.
Jailing them for six years and four months each, Lady Stacey told them the kids had been subjected to a “chaotic” lifestyle. The judge added: “They were entitled to a better home life than they had.
“When your youngest daughter died, your house was a in a shocking state.
“I don’t think you need me to point out but you had been offered advice, it was not taken.
“You knew the children were dependent on you. You failed in your duties to these children.”
Wade and Sweeney showed no emotion as they were led handcuffed to the cells. The pair – a couple for 15 years – both regarded themselves as parents to Lauren.
They moved to a flat in the city’s Fountainwell Drive in 2011. A detective later branded it “one of the most disgusting” he had seen in his career.
A sick Lauren was described as “emaciated” in the days before she died.
Wade insisted her “pale and tired” daughter had a cold.
Prosecutor Bill McVicar said: “The most significant effect of the failure to provide a proper