| Couple's starved boys ate
insulation FOREIGN STAFF AT FIRST glance it seems a joyous
photograph of a happy, relaxed family. It is only when the eye lingers on
the images of four of the boys it becomes clear something is tragically
wrong. Police and neighbours say Raymond Jackson, 50, and his 48-year-old wife, Vanessa, starved their adopted sons for years while allowing their daughters to feast on takeaways. The emaciated boys were found at a house in New Jersey at the weekend, after they were seen raking through neighbours’ bins for food. One of the boys, aged 19, weighed just over three stones and was only 4ft tall, allegedly as a result of years of undernourishment. The Jacksons have been charged with starving and endangering the boys aged nine, ten, 14 and 19. It is alleged the youngsters, who were adopted between 1995 and 1997, were given only pancake batter, peanut butter, jam and cereal to eat. They reportedly said they also ate parts of the house insulation. At the same time the couple’s three girls were well fed, and were allowed to eat Chinese takeaway in front of the starving boys, authorities said. The girls, adopted five and ten-year-olds, and a 12-year-old foster child who was also being adopted by the couple, were often seen playing in the family swimming pool. The alleged horror was uncovered in the middle-class Philadelphia suburb of Collingswood. Raymond Jackson’s brother, William, said the boys were not abused but suffered from medical conditions, including eating disorders, that dated back to their births. |
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