𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The horrifying revelation left everyone who encountered it profoundly disturbed by the atrocities that had unfolded behind closed doors.

A harrowing incest cult came to light, founded by two great-great grandparents in an isolated rural valley, hidden from society’s view.

Their offspring were rendered unable to communicate or see properly – victims of successive generations of appalling inbreeding.

When social services ultimately stepped in, officials were appalled to discover 38 children living in deplorable conditions, all connected through familial bonds.

The severely maltreated youngsters were so profoundly disabled they couldn’t express themselves, reports the Daily Record.

After being placed with foster families, their carers observed extremely concerning hypersexual conduct.

Years afterwards, one of the parents published a deeply unsettling Facebook post declaring “Love Makes a Family”, according to the New Zealand Herald.

For the Colts – a pseudonym given by the courts – the nightmare started with June and Tim, who wed in New Zealand in 1966 before relocating to Australia.

The pair produced seven children together, with Martha being the youngest.

Each child amongst the group of 38 had endured years of sexual abuse, committed by brothers, sisters, cousins, fathers, an uncle and a grandfather spanning four generations.

The Colts initially attracted the attention of authorities in June 2010. Over a two-year period, seven “risk of significant harm reports” were filed, predominantly concerning neglect, failure to obtain essential medical care and failure to ensure the children attended school.

Social services finally managed to gain access to the makeshift encampment where the family resided in 2010.

It lacked the most basic amenities, including running water and toilet facilities.

The children were unable to carry out simple personal hygiene tasks such as brushing their hair, using toilet paper and cleaning their teeth, and ate their food with their hands.

The caravan’s kitchen was thick with filth, vegetables were rotting in the refrigerator, and the bed sheets appeared heavily soiled. A kangaroo was found sleeping on one of the children’s beds.

Several of the children displayed visible physical abnormalities, including crossed eyes, unusually positioned ears, and appeared considerably older than their actual age.

Only Rhonda’s five-year-old daughter was found not to have been conceived by a blood relative.

All other children were the result of incest.

Betty, Martha, and Raylene all deny that their children are the product of incest, despite genetic testing confirming otherwise.

Three of the girls aged seven, eight, and nine identified their uncle, Charlie Colt, as also being their father. He was present at the property when the children were removed.

The nine-year-old also alleged that Charlie Colt had sexually abused her. It is understood that the family’s patriarch, Timothy Colt, who passed away in 2009, fathered children with both his daughter and granddaughter.

Five boys who were removed also admitted to inflicting cruelty upon farm animals, including puppies and cats. They further confessed to mutilating the animals’ genitals.

Initially, the family complied with a directive from social services in June 2012 to improve their living conditions.

However, a month later, 12 youngsters, all relatives ranging in age from five to 15, were placed under police protection after authorities determined they were at risk if they remained on the property.

All of the removed children will remain in care until they reach the age of 18. The case came to public attention when the children’s court of New South Wales took the unprecedented step of publishing its ruling.

In 2021, testimony given during the trials of other Colt family members indicated that Martha’s father, Tim Colt, was probably also the father of his daughter Betty’s 13 offspring.

Martha, who openly shared a “marital bed” with her brother Charlie, had given birth to five of her brother’s children. It was disclosed at Martha’s trial that her children were likely fathered by Charlie, her own father Tim, and another brother.

Three relatives, Roderick, Martha, and Derek Colt, lodged appeals in 2020, though these have all now lapsed.

Of the original 80 charges brought against eight members of the Colt family – covering incest, child sexual abuse, indecency against a child, and perjury – a significant number were later dropped.

Charlie Colt, who initially faced 27 charges, was cleared of two and acquitted, with the remaining charges withdrawn. His brother Roderick, however, was convicted of raping his niece and half-sister Petra.

The trial heard that Petra was also Roderick’s half-sister, born to Roderick’s sister Betty and their father Tim.

While all eight family members were imprisoned following their 2018 arrest, only half have ultimately received custodial sentences.

Like Martha, her elder sisters Betty and Rhonda, together with Betty’s daughter Raylene, were similarly accused of providing false testimony regarding the paternity of their children.

In 2018, Betty Colt posted a Facebook photograph of herself alongside two female relatives, captioned “Love Makes a Family”.

Rhonda received a 14-month intensive corrections order (ICO) for perjury, which expired in 2021. Raylene was handed a 16-month ICO for perjury, which equally came to an end in 2021.

Betty was convicted of four counts of perjury, one count of lying under oath and one count of perverting the course of justice, resulting in a 14-month custodial sentence.

Martha, the youngest of the sisters, pleaded guilty to five counts of perjury and one count of making a false statement under oath.