Kaylea Titford was “left to die alone,” judge (Agent)
London:
A British couple was jailed on Wednesday for manslaughter after their disabled 16-year-old daughter died at home from obesity in extreme squalor at a time of Covid restrictions.
Kaylea Titford was found dead in October 2020 at her home in Wales, weighing 321 pounds (146 kg) and lying on a dirty home-training dog toilet pad.
The trial highlighted that Kaylea dropped out of school when Wales and the rest of the UK entered their first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, but social services failed to test her.
Judge Martin Griffiths ruled at Swansea Crown Court she had suffered “a long and persistent crime of negligence” at the hands of her parents, calling it a “horrific case”. .
Her father, Alun Titford, a 45-year-old cleaning worker, was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence, after pleading not guilty. He was jailed for seven years and six months.
Her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 40, pleaded guilty last year. She was imprisoned for six years.
Kaylea, who has hydrocephalus and spina bifida, has grown faster than her wheelchair, but her parents ignored the stench as her body “rotted” from the sores, the judge found.
Spina bifida is a condition that develops in the womb, causing spinal and nerve problems. It can also cause hydrocephalus, or fluid accumulation in the brain.
Griffiths said: “At the time of her death, she was lying in her own trash, surrounded by flies that annoyed her and maggots eating her.
– ‘Using all means’ –
Titford told the court he did nothing to take care of his daughter, saying: “I’m lazy”. He said he stopped giving her physical care after she hit puberty.
Although he pleaded not guilty, he later admitted in court that he was equally responsible for his daughter’s death.
Hours before her death, Titford heard his daughter screaming, but he only responded by texting her asking to stop.
“He didn’t go see what the problem was or get any help she needed,” the judge said. “She was left to die alone.”
Kaylea attended mainstream school until the first coronavirus lockdown. Police said she was once a talented wheelchair basketball player and loved by her friends.
The incident shows the lack of supervision by the authorities, both before and during the blockade. Kaylea has not been seen by social workers for many years and has stopped seeing dieticians and physiotherapists.
The case documents were deemed so traumatic by the judge that he exempted the jurors from serving again for 10 years.
“People will ask how could any child in our society suffer like this without anyone stepping in to prevent such a tragedy,” said the National Association for the Prevention of Cruelty. en Cruel treatment of Children in Wales reported.
The charity notes that authorities are looking into the case and urges them to “not overlook anything” to ensure that other children do not suffer the same fate.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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