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 . York Crown Court , pictured , heard that the young boy had several teeth removed due to decay . When police arrived at the house , officers found it was covered in flies , with piles of rubbish and rotting food . The kitchen was full of dirty plates while there was dogs excrement inside the house . The fridge was full of rotten food . York Crown Court heard that the boy 's school had warned his mother and her partner of their concerns over his welfare . 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 . York Crown Court heard that the child wanted to know why Santa never visited despite being ' a good boy ' 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 . She added : 'This was serious long-term neglect . ' The boy 's mother , who is 43 , and her 42-year-old partner have both pleaded guilty to two charges of child cruelty by not seeking dental care or providing suitable living accommodation . The pair , who can not be named for legal reasons , recently moved into the property . The court heard that the boy had been neglected between September 1 , 2013 and August 2014 , while the man had neglected him between March and August . The mother 's defence team claimed she was a loving and caring parent who was suffering from depression . She said the mother received no support from the boy 's father . Victoria Smith-Swain , for the woman claimed she had difficulty coping with rearing her son and working in a shopping centre . The court adjourned sentencing so it could assess reports of the mother 's mental health . Her partner has not yet provided his mitigation statment . The pair are due to be sentenced next month at Leeds Crown Court .
The five - year - old boy ran away from home and was found by police . Officers found rotting food , dog faeces and rubbish all over the house . The child suffered exposed roots in his lungs and needed extractions . Officials placed the youngster into foster care where he is thriving . The child did not know what a bath was for or how to wash himself . The child 's mother and her partner have pleaded guilty to child neglect . They will be sentenced next year at High Crown Court .