Kaylea Titford’s parents ‘killed her by allowing her weight to balloon in maggot-infested room’

By William On Jan 18, 2023

Two parents killed their 16-year-old daughter by allowing her weight to increase to 23 stone during the Covid lockdown, a court heard today.

Schoolgirl Kaylea Titford, who suffered from spina bifida and had to use a wheelchair, was allegedly neglected and her father, Alun Titford and mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, allowed her to become morbidly obese in their filthy, bug-infested room. worms during the pandemic.

A court heard that Kaylea was previously “fiercely independent” and even participated in physical education lessons in her wheelchair at school.

But her parents are accused of allowing her to gain weight dramatically and her health to deteriorate, leaving her alone in her adapted room.

She was found dead in October 2020 in ‘living in conditions unfit for animals’, the court heard.

Kaylea Titford was allegedly neglected and allowed to become morbidly obese

Father Alun Titford, 45, is charged with gross negligence manslaughter after his daughter was found dead in her bed.

‘I’m lazy and I’m not a very good father’: Court hears what Kaylea’s father told police

The mover, Alun Titford, blamed his “laziness” for the state of Kaylea’s dirty room, telling officers: “I’m not a very good parent.”

Titford said mother Lloyd-Jones was Kaylea’s primary carer, and had no idea she “wasn’t getting by”.

Asked by police why his living environment was in such a state, Titford said: “Probably me and his mother’s laziness.”

Prosecutor Caroline Rees said the couple’s parenting failures were “criminal” and resulted in Kaylea’s death.

Ms Rees said: ‘Its serious failings have been hidden from the scrutiny of the outside world since March 2020 due to the national lockdown during the global Covid pandemic.

“Furthermore, we say that the parental neglect was so serious as to be properly characterized as criminal.”

The court heard that after Kaylea was found dead, instead of calling the authorities, Titford called her mother, who dialed 999.

When asked why she did this, Titford told police: “Because she would know what to do.”

Titford denies manslaughter and causing or permitting the death of a child.

The trial continues.

Supposedly, Kaylea had not seen a doctor in the nine months before her death, despite a series of health problems.

Titford, 45, is charged with gross negligent homicide and causing or permitting the death of a child.

Lloyd-Jones, 39, admitted guilty and pleaded guilty to the same charges.

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC said that at the time of her death in October 2020, Kaylea “lived in conditions unfit for animals” and was forced to use “puppy pads” to go to the bathroom on her soggy floor. urine.

Mrs Rees said: “She lived and died in misery and degradation.”

Mold Crown Court in North Wales heard that Kaylea’s parents failed in their “duty of care” to help her exercise and provide her with a healthy diet, as well as failing to keep her clean and “medically safe”.

Ms Rees said that at the time of her death, Kaylea weighed 22.9 and was “morbidly obese” with a BMI of 70.

The average BMI measurement for a 16-year-old girl is around 20, according to the CDC.

Ms Rees said: “Alun Titford failed to ensure Kaylea’s dietary needs were met, leading to morbid obesity.”

She said Kaylea had not cut her nails for six months before her death and ‘well-developed’ maggots were found on her body around her buttocks and legs.

Mrs Rees said: ‘These worms were there in life and death.

“Her living conditions were not only bad, but her physical condition was also terrible.”

The jury was told that there were more than 100 flies on flypaper in Kaylea’s room and that there were traces of fly droppings on the riser of her chair.

Her hair was also matted and Kaylea, who needed help with daily chores, had not washed for “several weeks.”

Ms Rees said: “It should be made clear that it was a gross breach of duty to her that they allowed her to fall into such a physical state.”

Kaylea was found dead in bed by her mother Lloyd-Jones on October 10, 2020 at her home in Newtown, Powys.

Mold Crown Court heard Kaylea’s mother (pictured) and father failed in their “duty of care” to keep her healthy and clean

A court heard that Kaylea was previously “fiercely independent” and even participated in high school physical education lessons in her wheelchair.

Her parents are accused of allowing her to gain weight dramatically and her health to deteriorate, as she was left alone in her adapted room.

Ms Rees said that when police arrived, one officer “was almost sick” from the sight and smell of unwashed feces in her bathroom and a paramedic could smell “rotten meat” when he entered the bedroom.

Ms Rees said: “Once her body was removed, the officers were able to see the state of the bed which was full of maggots and there was an overbearing smell of ammonia.”

Ms Rees said Titford claimed to be “shocked” by his daughter’s death and that Kaylea was the responsibility of Lloyd-Jones.

She said: “The duty of care lay with both of them and the prosecution says he must have known, or should have known, of the environment in which she slept and ate and the physically degrading condition in which she was placed.”

“He lived in that house, so he must have known, and he didn’t do anything about it, the prosecution says, and then he can’t wash his hands of it.”

Titford, from Newtown, Powys, sat quietly in black trousers and a black coat.

He denies manslaughter and causing or permitting the death of a child.

The trial, which could last up to four weeks, continues.