Acourt in L'Aquila on Thursday ruled that an appeal by an Australian-British couple against a juvenile court's decision to eject the mother from the foster home where their three children have been living since November was inadmissible.
The couple, Australian Catherine Birmingham and her British husband Nathan Trevallion, had been raising the children, an eight-year-old girl and two six-year-old twin boys, in a house without electricity or running water in woods near the town of Palmoli in central Abruzzo.
They were put into care in November after being poisoned by mushrooms and amid concerns about their safety, their education and their ability to socialize with other children.
They were placed into a home in Vasto and initially Birmingham also stayed there and was able to be with them for set periods during the day.
But on March 6 a court ordered Birmingham be ejected from the home, amid reports of tension between the woman and staff and social workers.
