A CHILD healthcare expert has told a court of her distress after seeing a youngster allegedly neglected by their parents covered in lice from head to toe.

It comes as part of the trial of parents accused of child neglect, as first reported yesterday by the Daily Echo.

Lucia Santos said it was the worst head lice infestation she had ever seen and added: "It was most distressing for me as a doctor."

Dr Santos told jurors at Southampton Crown Crown that she even found a dead lice on the child's foot.

She added: "The infestation was all over her body. Head lice were everywhere and very little had been done to tackle the problem."

Dr Santos was working for Solent NHS Trust when she examined the seven-year-old girl and her younger sister at Southampton General Hospital, the court heard.

Describing the infestation as "massive", she said the girl's hair appeared to be moving.

She added: "Head lice were crawling all over her body and she felt very itchy. Her hair was matted due to the number of nits - there were some areas where you couldn't actually see her scalp."

Dr Santos said the girl's two-year-old sister also had nits and lice.

She told the court: "She had dark circles under her eyes and looked sad. She didn't show much emotion but cried a bit when I examined her."

Earlier the court heard that the girls' mother was more concerned about getting into trouble than focussing on her daughter's health.

It was claimed that she threatened to withdraw her child from a Southampton school if teachers reported their concerns to social services.

The alarm was raised in December 2013 after the child moved there from another school in the city and teachers immediately noticed her dishevelled appearance.

She had a severe head lice infestation, plus open sores on her scalp and an odour that was described in court as being like "rotten meat".

As a result the head teacher and deputy head met with the mother when she came to pick up her child at the end of the day, jurors were told.

Giving evidence, one staff member said the mother was with a younger daughter who was present throughout the 25-minute meeting.

The deputy head said the child, who looked dirty, did not make a sound during the meeting and made no attempt to play with any of the toys that were in the room.

The witness claimed the mother told her she found it difficult to bath the child because the girl didn't let her "get near her head".

Giving evidence the teacher said the mother seemed preoccupied with showing that she was "doing the right thing" rather than appreciating the state her daughter was in.

The mother, a 43-year-old from Southampton and the children's father, a 47-year-old also from the city, both deny two counts of child neglect. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

The case, which is being heard by Judge Peter Henry, is expected to last three weeks.

Proceeding