Handing down his sentence in Swansea Crown Court, Mr. Justice Griffiths said Lloyd-Jones and Titford had “caused her death by a shocking and prolonged neglect over lockdown”.
The parents of a disabled girl who perished of morbid obesity have been incarcerated for her manslaughter.
Kaylea Titford, 16, died in Wales at 22 stone.
Alun Titford, 45, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday.
After a three-week trial in Mold Crown Court in February, he was found guilty of manslaughter by gross neglect.
Sarah Lloyd Jones, 39, Kaylea’s mother, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.
“Kaylea Titford made a success of her existence,” Mr. Justice Griffiths said in delivering his sentence.
She was an “accomplished wheelchair user who competed in national wheelchair activities,” he added.
“She accomplished everything she could for herself, but she passed away shortly after her 16th birthday,” he added.
Mr. Justice Griffiths stated that Lloyd-Jones and Titford were “responsible for her mortality through shocking and protracted neglect during the lockdown.”
He added that it was “obvious that she (Lloyd-Jones) was deteriorating” and that Titford had “ignored…the evidence of his own eyes and nose that she (Kaylea) was not receiving the care she needed.”
“His long work hours are not an excuse; he enjoyed working but disliked assisting,” and Titford “could and should have done more to help and asked others for help.”
“Horrifying situation”
Mr. Justice Griffiths stated that Lloyd-Jones had a “duty” to receive assistance, but “she declined” all offers from external agencies.
This was not a lapse, concluded Mr. Justice Griffiths, it was a “long and sustained period of criminal negligence”.
There was “no attempt to control her (Kaylea’s) diet, she could only consume what she was given.”
“It was crystal clear that Kaylea was morbidly and recklessly obese,” he continued.
He described it as “a horrifying case, a case of sustained neglect, leading to the death of a wholly dependent…disabled child at the hands of her parents.”
There had been “plenty of time” for Kaylea to receive assistance and make amends. Things only got worse during that period.
“They share equal responsibility,” he continued.
“Help was available for the taking, it was available for the asking, and it had been given before.
“Both defendants neglected to get Kaylea the assistance she required, and when it was offered, it was sometimes rejected.”
“Rotting tissue”
On 10 October 2020, after her family reported her demise, Dyfed-Powys Police officers responded to Kaylea’s residence.
Kaylea was born with hydrocephalus and spina bifida, but she received a traditional education and was reportedly a talented wheelchair basketball player.
The police say the conditions in which they discovered Kaylea were “horrendous” and indicative of “shocking neglect over an extended period, both environmentally and physiologically.”
During Alun Titford’s trial at Mold Crown Court, the jury heard that paramedics who responded to Kaylea’s residence could smell “rotting flesh” when they moved her duvet.
One of these paramedics was Gareth Evans, who testified in court that the odor caused him to “vomit.”
Difficult to handle
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as well as medical, dental, and environmental experts participated in the police investigation.
“Cases of this type are onerous to deal with,” said Iwan Jenkins, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS Cymru Wales.
“They require proving that someone has failed to perform their duty, which is something they have not done. As opposed to demonstrating that they have done something,” he added.
“In this case, neglect determined the amount of time and deterioration that led to Kaylea’s untimely death.
“No child should be forced to endure the horrors she endured before her demise.
Mr. Jenkins added that comparable cases to Kaylea’s “would upset anyone.”
“They are difficult cases to handle, and when you see a child who has been lost because someone failed to care for them, it is distressing and requires professional and committed approaches from those responsible within the criminal justice system to ensure that justice is done for those who suffer at the hands of people who should know better.”
