The Italian justice ministry has initiated an investigation at the Juvenile Court of L’Aquila, sources confirmed on Monday. This follows a contentious ruling in the case of three children who had been living off the grid with their parents in the Abruzzo woods.
Inspectors from the ministry have already begun reviewing documentation and are expected to visit the Juvenile court of L’Aquila in the coming days. They may question magistrates, social workers, and others involved in the case to clarify the circumstances surrounding the recent decisions.
The scrutiny follows the court’s ruling last week that mother Catherine Birmingham, an Australian, should be removed from the Vasto care facility where her children — a daughter aged eight and six-year-old twin boys — have been temporarily placed under social services supervision.
The decision also stipulated that the children be transferred to a different facility, though this relocation has reportedly not yet occurred.
Meloni voices concern
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed deep concern over the ruling, saying the government’s decision to send inspectors was warranted. Speaking to Mediaset television, she said:
“It was decided to entrust these three children, who were living with their natural parents, to the social services, but at least they were still with their mother. Now it’s been decided to remove the mother from the care facility, and I don’t think this is a decision that will make these children feel any better. I think it inflicts another devastating trauma on them.”
Meloni’s intervention highlights the national attention the case has garnered, reflecting broader debates in Italy over parental rights, child welfare, and state intervention.
Life in the Abruzzo woods
Catherine Birmingham and her British husband, Nathan Trevallion, had been raising their children in a remote home near Palmoli, central Abruzzo, without electricity or running water. Authorities had previously raised concerns about the children’s safety, education, and social development, which led to the December 2025 appeals court rejection of the couple’s petition to retain custody.
In November, the Trevallions temporarily moved into a local farmhouse, arranged by restaurateur Armando Carusi, while renovations were carried out on their off-grid home, in an effort to strengthen their case for regaining custody.
