Chilling incest cult with deformed inbred children unable to speak or see
The Colt family, a pseudonym assigned by the court, lived in a makeshift camp in an isolated farming valley where 38 family members were discovered living in squalid conditions spanning four generations
Irish Mirror/March 1, 2026
By Emilia Randall and Jane Lavender
The discovery of a horrific incest cult hidden within a family home left those who uncovered the disturbing truth utterly shocked.
A harrowing incestuous network, established by two great-great grandparents in a remote farming valley, was revealed, having remained hidden from public knowledge for years.
Their descendants were discovered in a condition of profound disability, unable to speak or see, as a consequence of continuous inbreeding.
Social services were horrified when they encountered 38 individuals living in squalor, all blood relations.
The youngsters, subjected to extreme abuse, were so severely disabled that they couldn't communicate verbally. Following their placement in foster care, their adoptive families noticed disturbingly sexualised conduct.
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In a deeply unsettling development, one of the parents subsequently shared a post on Facebook with the disturbing caption "Love Makes a Family", according to the New Zealand Herald.
The ordeal for the Colts, a pseudonym given by the court, commenced with June and Tim's marriage in New Zealand in 1966 before they relocated to Australia. They had seven offspring, with Martha being the youngest.
Every one of the 38 youngsters in the group suffered prolonged sexual abuse at the hands of siblings, cousins, fathers, an uncle, and a grandfather, across four generations. The Colt family first drew official attention in June 2010.
Over the subsequent two years, authorities lodged seven "risk of significant harm reports" chiefly relating to neglect, medical neglect, and truancy matters.
In 2010, social services eventually secured access to the makeshift camp where the family lived. The site was devoid of basic facilities such as running water and toilets.
The children were incapable of combing their hair, didn't understand how to use toilet paper, couldn't brush their teeth, and ate with their hands.
The caravan's cooking areas were caked in grime, vegetables were left to decompose in the fridge, and the bed linen appeared to be marked with dirt. A kangaroo was discovered sleeping on one of the children's beds.
Many children exhibited visible deformities, with misaligned eyes, low-set ears, and appearing decades older than their actual age. Only Rhonda's five-year-old daughter was found not to have been fathered by a blood relative.
All other children were products of incest.
Despite genetic testing proving otherwise, Betty, Martha, and Raylene all deny that their children are products of incest.
Three of the girls, aged seven, eight, and nine, claimed their uncle, Charlie Colt, who lived on the property when the children were taken away, was also their father. The nine-year-old also alleged Charlie Colt had sexual relations with her.
It's believed the family patriarch, Timothy Colt, who died in 2009, fathered children with one of his daughters and one of his granddaughters.
Five of the boys who were removed also admitted to torturing animals on the farm, including puppies and cats. They also confessed to mutilating the genitals of animals.
At first, the family complied with a request from social services in June 2012 to improve their living conditions, but by July, police were forced to remove 12 children, all cousins aged between five and 15 years, after it was established they were at risk of harm if they remained at the property.
The children who were taken away will remain in care until they turn 18. This case entered the public domain when the children's court of New South Wales chose to make its judgment in the case public.
In 2021, during the trials of other members of the Colt family, evidence indicated that Martha's father, Tim Colt, might also be the father of his daughter Betty's 13 children.
Martha, who was known to share a "marital bed" with her brother Charlie, had five children with him. The trial for Martha heard that her children were likely fathered by Charlie, her own father Tim, and another brother.
Three family members, Roderick, Martha, and Derek Colt, filed intentions to appeal in 2020, but these have since expired. Out of the 80 original charges against eight Colts – which included incest, child sexual abuse, indecency against a child, and perjury – many were dropped.
Charlie Colt, originally facing 27 charges, was cleared of two charges and acquitted, with the remaining charges dropped. However, his brother Roderick was found guilty of raping his niece and half-sister Petra.
During his trial, it emerged that Petra was actually his half-sister, as she was the child of Roderick's sister Betty and their father Tim.
Despite all eight family members being incarcerated following their 2018 arrest, only four have since received prison sentences.
Martha, along with her elder sisters Betty and Rhonda, and Betty's daughter Raylene, were charged for lying about the paternity of their children.
In a 2018 Facebook post, Betty Colt shared a photo of herself with two female relatives, captioned with the words "Love Makes a Family".
Rhonda was given a 14-month intensive corrections order (ICO) for perjury, which ended in 2021. Raylene also received a 16-month ICO for perjury, which likewise finished in 2021.
Betty was convicted on four counts of perjury, one count of lying under oath, and one count of perverting the course of justice, resulting in a 14-month spell in prison.
Her maximum sentence of two years and four months is due to end in August. Martha, the youngest of the sisters, pleaded guilty to five counts of perjury and one count of making a false statement under oath.
