Oxford Crown Court: Woman faces 13 counts of child cruelty

The jury heard that the children were hit, exposed to "rat like creatures", and two experienced sexual abuse

A 71-year-old woman and her husband made life "living hell" for children in the mid-1970s, a court has heard.

Elsie Wheddon faces 13 counts of child cruelty, including claims she hit them and locked them in a cupboard.

Matthew Walsh, prosecuting, told Oxford Crown Court that they were also exposed to "rat-like creatures" and two experienced sexual abuse by Ms Wheddon's late husband.

Ms Wheddon pleaded not guilty to all charges and is on unconditional bail.

Mr Walsh said the children's life became an "unforgettable ordeal" with "deliberate cruelty towards them" when they moved to the defendant's home in Oxfordshire.

The jury heard that Ms Wheddon and her husband would "strike [one child] without warning" and another child's hair was, in one instance, used "as a mop" to clear up urine on the floor.

Mr Walsh said: "What happened to these [children] stayed with them for many, many years.

"They frequently had to sit on a sofa, and [one child] recalled rat like creatures would be put on them and allowed to crawl on them and bite them."

The court heard that one child was "thrown in the bath in her nightie and dressing gown and she remembers being pushed under so she couldn't breathe".

'A blind eye'

Ms Wheddon's husband died in 2022 but the court heard his alleged actions are "very much part of the evidence".

Mr Walsh said: "When it comes to violence, some of that is carried out in Ms Wheddon's presence and she did nothing to stop it."

The jury was also told that two of the children were sexually abused more than twice by Ms Wheddon's husband.

Mr Walsh said he had allegedly burned a third child on their back using a cigarette lighter.

He told the jury: "She was aware of what was going on and did nothing to stop it, turning a blind eye when she should have stopped it all."

The jury heard that the claims were only brought to the police in 2019 when one child felt they were in the "right headspace".

The court was told that, during her interview with the police, the woman "thought she treated the children well" and said there were no incidents at the time.

Mr Walsh said she added that she thought her husband was "good" at the time.

The case continues.