Mother and father who killed their 16-year-old disabled daughter by allowing her to become morbidly obese during lockdown arrive at court for sentencing
- Kaylea Titford, 16, was found in conditions described as ‘unfit for any animal’
- Alun Titford, 45, was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence
- Her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, previously admitted the same charge
A mother and father who killed their 16-year-old disabled daughter have arrived for sentencing in what will be the first court hearing in Wales to be televised.
Kaylea Titford, who suffered from spina bifida, was found dead at her home in Newtown, Powys, in October 2020 after her parents allowed her to become morbidly obese during lockdown.
Her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, admitted manslaughter by gross negligence last year, while her father, Alun Titford, 45, denied the charges and was found guilty after a trial last month.
The teenager weighed 22st 13lb with a BMI of 70 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered inside her bedroom in conditions described as ‘unfit for any animal’.
The pair, who arrived separately to Swansea Crown Court, are being sentenced by Justice Griffiths whose remarks will be broadcast to the public.
Alun Titford, 45, and Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, arriving at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing
Kaylea died after suffering inflammation and infection from ulceration, arising from obesity and immobility
The bedroom of Kaylea Titford. Her room was said to be dirty and cluttered, with bottles of urine and a chip fryer with drips of fat down the side, as well as a full cake in a box
The jury was shown an image of the bed used by Kaylea Titford
Another image shown in court as part of Titford’s trial showed a fly paper hanging in Kaylea Titford’s bedroom
Opening submissions during the sentencing of Titford and Lloyd-Jones, Caroline Rees KC, prosecuting, said: ‘By the time of her death between October 9-10, Kaylea Titford was living in conditions unfit for any animal, let alone for a vulnerable 16-year-old girl who depended on others for her care.
‘Kaylea lived and died in squalor and degradation.’
She also told the court how Kaylea Titford had not returned to school in Newtown since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, and had not seen a doctor for at least six months.
‘Because of the lockdown, Kaylea’s exposure to those outside her family was extremely limited,’ Ms Rees told the court.
‘This allowed both defendants to avoid the scrutiny of the outside world.’
She weighed 22 stone and 13 lbs, with a body mass index of 70, when she was found dead in October 2020 at her home in Newtown, Powys, Wales
The 16-year-old was tragically found lying in soiled clothing and bed linen after she had passed away
The court heard her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, who had six children with Titford, had pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter
In a closing speech at Mold Crown Court on Friday, David Elias KC, defending, said the jury had heard evidence there should have been more support for Kaylea
A jury of eight men and four women convicted Titford after being shown pictures during the trial at Mold Crown Court in North Wales of the ‘squalor and degradation’ Kaylea had been forced to endure.
The evidence showed how the teenager, who had been wheelchair-bound and dependent on others for her care, was left to lie in soiled clothing and on filthy bed linen and puppy training pads.
She died after suffering inflammation and infection from ulcerations caused by obesity and immobility.
Emergency service workers, who were called to the house on October 10, described feeling sick due to an ‘unbearable’ rotting smell in her room.
A fly on the bed used by Kaylea Titford. Alun Titford, 45, is accused of the manslaughter of his disabled 16-year-old daughter Kaylea Titford
The jury was presented with evidence, including images from the inside of her home where she was found dead in Newport, Powys, Wales in October 2020
The jury was shown an image of the bathroom at the home of Kaylea Titford
The jury has been shown images and body-worn footage of Kaylea’s living conditions, including her bedroom
When her body was examined maggots were found which were thought to have been feeding on her body in the final days of her life.
Titford claimed at trial that Lloyd-Jones was responsible for Kaylea’s care, and when he was asked why he had let his daughter down so badly, the removals worker said: ‘I’m lazy.’
READ MORE: Pictured: Inside squalid home where disabled 16-year-old died weighing nearly 23 stone and the soiled bed where she was left to lay in her own filth
Kaylea attended Newtown High School, where she was described by staff as ‘funny and chatty’, but she did not return after the coronavirus lockdown in March 2020.
During Titford’s trial, the jury was presented with evidence including images and body-cam footage from the inside of Newport home.
They showed a cluttered and dirty interior of the home which contained soiled clothing, a bottle of urine, a catheter on the floor, and multiple bug infestations.
A police officer filming the body-cam footage inside Kaylea’s bedroom can be heard retching as he captured the state of her living conditions.
The prosecution described the conditions as ‘squalor and degradation’.
Lloyd-Jones, who had six children with Titford, pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter last year.
The court heard that Kaylea’s mother, who worked as a carer from 2018, was responsible for most of her care after she reached puberty, as Titford said he stepped back because he wasn’t ‘comfortable’.
Her father, Titford, of Colwyn, Newtown, was a full-time removal worker, working 40 to 50 hours a week and 15 days straight before Kaylea’s death.
It is the first hearing in Wales to be filmed since the law was changed to allow cameras into criminal courts for the first time last year.
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