A tangled web of hate in house of horrors
FIRST PICS: Three men and a woman who bound, starved, punished and neglected five children in a northern suburbs home can finally be named.
THE torment endured by five innocent children in the so-called "house of horrors" case left the public wondering what could possibly have prompted such cruelty.
Now, for the first time, the complex web of sibling relationships and spiteful jealousy that gave rise to such inhumanity can be revealed.
Supreme Court Justice Kevin Duggan yesterday said there was no reason to obscure the identities of Luke Andrew Armistead, Robert Armistead, Michael Benjamin Quinlivan and Tania Marie Staker.
They are the men who callously neglected the five children and the woman whose bitterness fuelled the cruel regime within the northern suburbs home.
Staker a mother of 12 was upset that her partner, Luke Armistead, had previously fathered five children with another woman.
That woman whose name is suppressed lived in the house because she had moved on to a relationship with Staker's brother, Michael Quinlivan.
Another housemate was Robert Armistead, Luke's former stepfather.
Staker hated the children, punishing them for the crime of being born to the other woman.
They were ordered to stand facing a wall from the time they woke to the time they slept. At times, their hands and feet were bound with sticky tape to stop them stealing food at night.
When they were permitted to eat, they had noodles, a handful of hot chips or dog food.
One would later tell the court he was fed just enough to stay alive.
"When we woke up, we would have to stand near the wall through the whole day," he said.
"We never said anything because they would have beaten us up."
Over four months, the children suffered starvation, malnutrition, emaciation, muscle wastage and scabies.
Authorities became aware of the situation when one child was taken to hospital with a head injury and severe hypothermia.
The group were arrested and charged with two counts each of aggravated acts to endanger life, and three counts each of aggravated acts creating a risk of serious harm.
The children's mother pleaded guilty to the charges and was jailed for at least three years.
Unlike many South Australian cases, the identities of the other accused were not suppressed.
The Advertiser chose not to identify them, however, to ensure that the trial proceeded without impediment.
Before that trial, Staker pleaded guilty.
The men took their chances on a trial, but fared poorly.
Quinlivan did himself no favours by admitting, under cross-examination, he "pretty much turned a blind eye" to the suffering of his partner's children.
"When the relationship (with their mother) ended, I cared about myself," he said.
"I didn't acknowledge that (the other children) were there."
He and Armistead also fouled their bail when they were arrested and charged with the alleged theft of a trailer.
Jurors took just six hours to find the trio guilty of the child-neglect offences.
Yesterday, Justice Duggan said he believed it was time Staker, Luke Armistead, Robert Armistead and Quinlivan were publicly identified.
He commended the media on its responsible approach to the difficult case.
"The media have, quite properly, taken a careful attitude towards this matter," he said.
"But I think the court should now say something to indicate that publication of the names of these prisoners will not identify the victims."
Lawyers for the prisoners then asked for time to organise for psychological reports to be prepared about their clients.
Justice Duggan remanded them in custody to face sentencing submissions in December.