Toddler, 2, was ‘skinny & dirty’ and slept in ‘grubby living room’ before she was starved to death by mum and partner

A TODDLER was kept in barbaric conditions before being starved to death by her mum and a partner.

Lauren Wade, 2, was “skinny and dirty” and forced to sleep in a “grubby living room” before she tragically died.

Margaret Wade, 41, and partner Marie Sweeney, 40, prevented Lauren eating proper food and withdrew all care of the child.

A probe into little Lauren’s death heard how on March 20 2015, a 999 call was made after the child was found to be “unresponsive”.

Lauren was found with a sodden nappy, bald patches and thousands of head lice in the hell hole flat in Sighthill, Glasgow.

She was rushed to hospital – but around 30 minutes later was pronounced dead.

Wade told nurses Lauren had been suffering from a virus for a couple of days, the Daily Record reported.

But a post mortem revealed she had been the victim of “severe neglect” and Glasgow’s High Court were told Lauren died of “complications with malnutrition”.

Evil Wade later told police she had “no guilt” over her daughter’s horrific death.

The pair were jailed in 2019 for six years and four months each after pleading guilty to the reduced charge of neglecting Lauren between June 2014 and March 2015.

A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) probe into the toddler’s death, which will last five weeks, began at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday.

The hearing heard how concerns had been raised at Wade’s two older daughters’ primary school over her dealing with their head lice treatment.

School nurse Sharon McIntyre, 52, said she made an unannounced visit to Wade’s flat in June 2014 after the mum had cancelled a pre-arranged appointment.

Asked by Prosecutor Selina Brown if she told Wade why she was there, she replied: “I told her it was to talk about the children and head lice in the family. Mum did not want me to come into flat.”

The place was grubby if not untidy

Sharon McIntyre, witness

Miss McIntyre claimed that she was told the flat was a “mess” but managed to get in to find it “untidy” with shoes along the hallway.

In the living room there was a mattress in front of the TV with a pile of clothes behind the sofa, Lauren’s cot was in the corner.

Miss McIntyre added: “The place was grubby if not untidy. I remember Lauren trying to crawl up on my lap.

“I remember trying to hold her off as she was in a vest and a nappy and she was grubby so I didn’t want her crawling on me.”

The nurse said another woman entered the living room to speak to Wade about cigarettes, who the mum said was her cousin.

Miss McIntyre said she did not know that Wade had a partner and said she would have included her in the discussion if she knew this.

Wade refused help to deal with head lice and told the nurse she [Lauren] was “coping herself”, on reflection Miss McIntyre said she was “probably not”.

The probe continues.