In a disturbing case that has shocked Australia, a mother from an incest cult family posted a chilling four-word Facebook caption—'Love Makes a Family'—after authorities rescued children living in squalor. The Colt family, consisting of 38 related members, was discovered in 2010 living in deplorable conditions on an improvised camp in New South Wales. Many children were severely disabled due to generations of inbreeding, with some unable to talk or see.
Origins of the Cult
The family's incestuous practices began with great-great-grandparents June and Tim, who married in New Zealand in 1966 before moving to Australia. They had seven children, including Martha, the youngest. Over four generations, children suffered extensive sexual abuse from siblings, cousins, fathers, uncles, and a grandfather.
Discovery and Rescue
In June 2010, social services accessed the family's camp, which lacked running water and toilets. Children could not comb their hair, use toilet paper, or brush their teeth. Many had physical abnormalities, including misaligned eyes, low-set ears, and appearances decades older than their actual age. Only one child was not fathered by a blood relative; all others were products of incest.
Despite genetic testing proving incest, family members Betty, Martha, and Raylene denied the results. Three girls stated their uncle, Charlie Colt, was also their father. In 2012, the family cooperated with social services to improve conditions, but by July, authorities removed 12 children aged five to 15 due to significant risk of harm. These children remain under state supervision until age 18.
Legal Consequences
Of the 80 original charges—including incest, child sexual abuse, indecency, and perjury—many were dropped. Charlie Colt faced 27 charges but was cleared of two and later had remaining charges withdrawn. His brother Roderick was found guilty of raping his niece and half-sister Petra, who was revealed to be his half-sister, born to his sister Betty and their father Tim.
Only four of the eight arrested family members were sentenced to prison. Martha, Betty, Rhonda, and Raylene were charged with providing false paternity information. In a 2018 Facebook post, Betty Colt shared a photo with two female relatives captioned 'Love Makes a Family.'
Sentences
Rhonda received a 14-month intensive corrections order (ICO) for perjury, ending in 2021. Raylene got a 16-month ICO for perjury, also concluding 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, receiving a 14-month jail sentence with a maximum of two years and four months, set to expire in August. Martha pleaded guilty to five counts of perjury and one count of making a false statement under oath. Betty is now believed to live in New South Wales with one of her sons, now in his 20s.
