A five-year-old boy asked why 'Santa' never visited him despite being good after he was seriously neglected by his mother and her partner.
The young child had severely rotten teeth, with several having exposed roots and abscesses, while there was no toothbrush suitable for his use in his house.
Authorities were alerted to the boy's plight after he escaped from the house and his frantic mother rang the police.
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Prosecution counsel Aisha Wadoodi said several of the child's baby teeth had exposed roots while some teeth had developed abscesses. Several of his teeth needed extraction.
Ms Wadoodi told the court that after the child was recovered, he was placed into foster care. The court heard that the child's education standards and speech were considerably below the average for his age.
According to
The York Press, the child told his foster mother: 'Santa doesn’t come to my house. I don’t know why, because I have been good.'
The court heard that there were no toys in the boy's room and he had no idea what a bath was for or how he should be washed.
Ms Waddodi said that over the past six months, the boy has thrived in foster care, described by his foster mother as 'a lovely little boy, very chatty, open and likes to please people.'
She said that the boy does not mention his family or his previous home.