London - A British couple were jailed on Wednesday for manslaughter after their disabled 16-year-old daughter died at home suffering from morbid obesity in utter squalor at a time of Covid curbs.
Kaylea Titford was found dead in October 2020 at her home in Wales, weighing 146kg and lying on soiled toilet pads made for house-training puppies.
The trial highlighted that Kaylea had dropped out of school when Wales and the rest of the UK entered the first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, but social services failed to check on her.
She suffered "a long and sustained period of criminal negligence" at the hands of her parents, judge Martin Griffiths ruled in Swansea Crown Court, calling it a "horrifying case".
Her father Alun Titford, a 45-year-old removals worker, was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence, after pleading not guilty. He was jailed for seven years and six months.
Her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 40, had pleaded guilty to the charge last year. She was imprisoned for six years.
Kaylea, who had hydrocephalus and spina bifida, had outgrown her wheelchair, but the parents ignored the stench as her body "rotted away alive" from ulcers, the judge found.
Spina bifida is a condition that develops in the womb, causing spinal and neurological problems. It can also cause hydrocephalus, or a build-up of fluid on the brain.
"By the time of her death, she was lying in her own filth, surrounded by flies which bothered her and maggots which fed on her," Griffiths said.
AFP