A TWO-YEAR-OLD boy had 50 bruises on his body and was painfully thin when social workers removed him from his filthy home, a court was told yesterday.

A working mother of five aged 28, and her 19-year-old boyfriend, from Thornaby, near Stockton, walked free from Teesside Crown Court after they were found guilty of neglecting the boy.

The house was dirty and covered with dog faeces, while the mother, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her son, worked long hours to buy furniture and a better life for her family, said the judge.

The five children are now in care, and a psychologist has devised a 20-session treatment course for the mother before she can apply for custody of them.

Judge Peter Armstrong was shown before and after photographs of the toddler when he was placed with foster parents in April last year.

A paediatrican counted 50 or more bruises on him and he was painfully thin.

The judge said it was impossible to say who had caused the injuries, but the couple were convicted of neglect for not having him treated. Later photographs showed an extremely happy youngster, the court heard.

Judge Armstrong said the mother needed parental skills and professional help, and that a Family Court will decide if she should be allowed to have the children back.

The judge told her boyfriend: "You were too young to get involved in this family of five children. You did not have the resources, the maturity to have the care of these children, but you engaged in a role and you had the responsibility also."

Robin Denny, on behalf of the mother, said: "A psychologist takes the view that there is a great deal to be done to help this lady, and he has arranged for 20 sessions."

The mother and boyfriend were found guilty of neglect between January 1 and April 28, last year, after a five-day trial last month.

The woman was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision.

Her boyfriend was sentenced to six months in a young offenders' institution, suspended for two years, with supervision.