My son lived in squalor with his dying mother - the system failed him

Leo came to Scotland excited to meet new friends and settle into a calm routine far from the chaos that tainted his home life before.

When the young teen left he was traumatised and blaming himself for his mother's death.

His father William, who was separated from Leo's mother, has told BBC News how his autistic son ended up living alone with his dying mum in a squalid house in Perthshire, littered with empty booze bottles.

This was despite child protection officers carrying out a home safety check five months before. He says the system failed Leo, and lessons must be learnt.

Perth and Kinross Council has upheld two complaints - in relation to poor communication and a failure to refer contact police for a welfare check - but has rejected other criticisms.

All the names in this story have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.

When Leo's mother Lauren had relocated to Perthshire in January 2022 for a fresh start after struggles with alcohol addiction, William supported the move.

The pair had split but were on good terms and William kept in touch with his son, making plans to visit whenever his busy schedule, working abroad as an army medic, allowed.

But as time went on communication between the parents began to break down and William says familiar warning signs began to show that something more serious was going on.

With Lauren having custody of their son and William unable to get through to her, he contacted his son's school and later Perth and Kinross Council social work department throughout 2023 and 2024 to share his concerns.

A home-check was carried out on 18 March 2025 just five months before Lauren's death but no concerns were raised.

Then on 27 August last year, Leo called paramedics to the house after his mum collapsed on the bathroom floor with an open wound seeping blood.

She was rushed to hospital where they discovered she had late-stage cancer and sepsis from the wound. She died 48 hours later on 30 August, aged just 41.

William told BBC Scotland he had been alerting the council and the school about concerns for at least two years before Lauren's death.

He said he tried to make contact with Leo's mother but she always made excuses for him not to visit.

"Every time I tried to arrange to meet my son there were excuses coming up, claiming he was not well or he had a dentist appointment," William said.

"But I would keep booking trains to visit, doing anything I could to see my son right up to her death."

William said he had travelled from Lancashire to Perthshire on many occasions but never got into the house.

"I tried to access the house but she would say no and then threaten to contact the police so I put my trust in the authorities," he said.

"I could have lost my job and my career so I had to do everything on her terms."

Last August, William was alerted that Lauren had been taken to hospital by her aunt who had gained entry to the house after Leo contacted the authorities.

This is when the truth of their circumstances was revealed.

Lauren's aunt was shocked by the condition of the home that Leo and his mother were living in.

Photographs show a home littered with gin and wine bottles and leftover packaging from takeaways strewn across the living room, kitchen and bedrooms, with little floor space visible.

Every room in the house has rubbish sprawling across every visible surface and the front garden is also filled with takeaway boxes and wine bottles.

"It became clear he had been living alone with an adult who was barely conscious with deteriorating health for days," William said.

"He had tried to survive by microwaving frozen chicken nuggets and chips."

After leaving the property for the final time, Leo was reunited with his father with no belongings apart from the clothes he was wearing.

William believes the trauma from his time in Perthshire will never leave his son.

He said: "My son blames himself for his mother's death. He has anxiety and anger issues and refuses to leave the house.

"He is an emotional wreck but because he has autism and ADHD he struggles to express his emotions so he bottles it all up.

"The lasting impact of this will be for life - he will never move on from the guilt of losing his mum in those circumstances."

William, who now lives with Leo in Lancashire, said: "This is just one case but how many other children out there are in the same boat but not getting any help?

"How do we know this won't happen again?

"When she was rushed to hospital I was never contacted by child protective services to see if Leo was alive at any stage - not once, not even till today.

"The system has neglected my son and there is no-one to hold to account."

Perth and Kinross council upheld two complaints in relation to the case - one on inadequate communication between William and the school and another for failing to refer to Police Scotland for a welfare check after being unable to gain access to the home three times.

They said social work and education staff are both trained in how to identify issues of concern regarding a child's welfare and how to respond.

A statement said: "We have apologised to the complainant for our initial inadequate communication with them, and for one occasion when a referral for a welfare check was not made to Police Scotland.

"No other complaints were upheld. Complainants can refer their case to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman for further review if unhappy with our decision."

First Minister John Swinney, who was also contacted by William about his concerns in his capacity as the local MSP, told BBC Scotland: "My office is currently awaiting a reply to our correspondence to Perth and Kinross Council.

"Once this has been received, I will be happy to meet to discuss the response and to consider what further assistance my office can offer."