A schoolgirl's casual remark to a friend about her sister's pregnancy unknowingly triggered the exposure of what authorities called one of Australia's worst incest cases. The girl said, "My sister is pregnant and we don't know which of my brothers is the father," a comment overheard by a classmate who reported it to a teacher in July 2012.
The Colt family, numbering 38 related individuals, lived in squalid conditions on a remote farm. They frequently moved to avoid detection, but a rare school attendance by one child led to the discovery. Authorities raided the property and found children with severe disabilities, some unable to speak or see, due to generations of inbreeding.
The Family's Origins and Conditions
The incestuous lineage began with Tim and June Colt, siblings who married in New Zealand in 1966 before moving to Australia. Their seven children—Martha, Frank, Paula, Cherry, Rhonda, Betty, and Charlie—endured sexual abuse from siblings, cousins, uncles, fathers, and grandfathers. The family lived without running water or toilets in "deplorable" conditions.
Tim Colt fathered children with his own daughter and granddaughter. Only one child in the family was not biologically related to a blood relative. The pregnant sister, given the pseudonym Tammy Colt, revealed that she had been in a relationship with her younger brother for three years. Her baby, Sally, died within two months of birth from Zellweger Syndrome, a fatal genetic condition likely resulting from incest.
Criminal Charges and Sentencing
In 2018, eight family members were arrested on 80 charges, including incest, child sexual abuse, indecency against a child, and perjury. However, many charges were dropped. Martha Colt, her daughter Raylene, and sisters Betty and Rhonda were accused of providing false paternity information. Martha posted a Facebook photo in 2018 with the caption "Love makes a Family."
Rhonda received a 14-month intensive corrections order for perjury, and Raylene was sentenced to 16 months for the same crime. Betty was convicted on four counts of perjury, one count of lying under oath, and one of perverting the course of justice, receiving a 14-month prison sentence. Tim Colt's son Roderick was convicted of raping his niece, who was also his half-sister. Charlie Colt faced 27 charges but was acquitted after some were dropped.
Aftermath and Current Status
In 2012, social services removed 12 children aged five to 15 from the family due to significant risk. Some were placed with foster families. Tim Colt died in 2009, before the family moved to New South Wales, where the schoolyard revelation occurred. Some family members later joined social media but are now believed to be living under the radar.
