Parents who let daughter Kaylea Titford's weight balloon to 23st before she died in filth have jail terms increased

Dec 07, 2023

A MUM and dad who let their daughter's weight balloon to 23st before she died in squalor covered in maggots will spend longer in jail.

Kaylea Titford, 16, was left to die in a filthy room at home in Newtown, Wales, on October 10, 2020.

The schoolgirl had been eating five takeaways a week to the point where she was "dangerously obese" and "living in conditions not fit for animals".

Her mum Sarah Lloyd-Jones was previously jailed for six years after she previously pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child.

Dad Alun Titford, 45, was found guilty of neglecting the teen by allowing her to become morbidly obese and jailed for seven years and six months.

The parents have today both seen their prison sentences increased at the Court of Appeal.

Titford will now serve ten years, whole Lloyd-Jones will spend eight years in jail.

In his ruling, Lord Justice Popplewell said: "The circumstances can only be categorised as extreme, Kaylea was living in unimaginable squalor."

Mr Justice Griffiths said during the original sentencing hearing that the parents caused Kaylea's death by "shocking and prolonged neglect over lockdown".

He added: "I find it impossible to say that more parent was to blame than the other.

"They were both equally responsible and they were both equally culpable."

During a harrowing trial, jurors were told Kaylea had been fiercely independent" before the pandemic - taking part in PE lessons in her wheelchair.

But when lockdown hit, the teen, who had spina bifida, was left to die in a filthy room.

The teen was forced to use "puppy pads" to go to the toilet on her urine-soaked floor.

Her nails had also not been cut for six months and "well grown" maggots were found on her body.

The teen's hair was matted and Kaylea, who needed help with everyday tasks, had not used the toilet or washed for six months.

There were traces of fly excrement on her chair hoist with horrific pictures showing the "squalor and degradation" Kaylea lived in.

At the time of her death, Kaylea weighed 22.9 stone and was "morbidly obese" with a BMI of 70.

In the three months before her death, her parents had spent £1,035.76 on takeaways.

This included 62 fast food meals in July 2020, 82 in the August and 93 in September.

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."

Emergency crews were called to her home following a 999 call made by Kaylea's grandmother.

When police arrived, one officer was "almost sick" from the stench of unwashed faeces in her bathroom.

Paramedics found her sat upright in bed with her clothes soiled and her back covered in sores.

Kaylea's armpits were almost black and she had "weeping, raw" ulcers so deep they went down to the bone.

There were maggots on her body as well where she had "lain in her own filth" as all over her soiled bedsheets and absorbent pads.

The maggots appeared to be "feeding on the body itself" for at least 48 hours.

A post mortem found she died as a result of inflammation and infection in extensive areas of ulceration arising from obesity and its complications and immobility of a girl with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

When arrested, Titford claimed to be "shocked" by his daughter's death and claimed Kaylea was mum Lloyd-Jones' responsibility.

He also blamed his "laziness" for the state of Kaylea's bedroom and told officers: "I'm not a very good dad".

Speaking after the sentencing, the teen's family said they were "incredibly saddened" by her death.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Rees added: "The conditions in which Kaylea was found were incomprehensible, and the impact of what they saw and experienced will be long-lasting for the officers and ambulance service staff who attended.

"To think Kaylea was able to attend school just months before she died is heartbreaking.

"While we did all we could to get justice for Kaylea, nothing will take away the loss of a teenage girl who was so badly let down by the very people who should have been caring for her."