Morbidly obese teen ‘was found dead with maggots and flies on her body’

A ‘morbidly obese’ teenage girl died after living in conditions ‘unfit for any animal’, a court has heard.

Kaylea Titford weighed 22 stone and 13 lbs when she died on October 2020 at home in the town of Newtown in Powys, Wales.

The 16-year-old was found lying amid soiled clothing and bed linen, Mold Crown Court heard.

Kaylea’s mum Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, admits manslaughter by gross negligence but her dad Alun Titford, 45, denies the offence.

Caroline Rees KC, prosecuting, explained how the teenager suffered from spina bifida, a back condition.

Kaylea also had hydrocephalus, which caused a build up of fluid in her brain, and used a wheelchair from a young age.

She was described as ‘funny and chatty’ by teaching staff at her school, but had become confined to her home after the coronavirus lockdown began in March 2020, Ms Rees told the court.

The teenager, who had a body mass index of 70, was said to be living in ‘squalor and degradation prior to her death.

When paramedics found Kaylea, she was lying on filthy ‘puppy pads’, with maggots and flies on her body and milk bottles filled with urine around her bed, the court heard.

Ms Rees said: ‘Kaylea Titford was living in conditions unfit for any animal, let alone a vulnerable 16-year-old girl who depended entirely on others for her care.’

The jury was told how a 999 call was made by the girl’s mother on the morning of October 10, 2020.

Police officers in attendance noted an ‘unbearable’ rotting smell and maggots crawling on a bed.

Ms Rees continued: ‘The prosecution say that the scene – as witnessed by those that attended – together with the state in which Kaylea’s body was found demonstrate clearly that this vulnerable girl, who relied heavily on others for her welfare needs, was seriously neglected by not just one but both of her parents, who owed her a duty of care.’

Pathologist Dr Deryk James examined Kaylea and said her physical state suggested she had not been properly washed in many weeks.

He ruled her death was as a result of ‘inflammation and infection in extensive areas of ulceration arising from obesity and its complications, and immobility in a girl with spina bifida and hydrocephalus’.

When Mr Titford was interviewed by police, he told them he was ‘not a very good dad’ and his wife looked after their child and did the housework.

He added that Kaylea had outgrown her wheelchair and had rarely got out of bed since lockdown.

Asked when he last asked how about his daughter’s wellbeing, he answered: ‘I didn’t ask her. Like I say, I’m not the best of people. Nobody ever thinks their child is going to end up like that.’

Mr Titford denies manslaughter by gross negligence and an alternative charge of causing or allowing the death of a child.

The trial, which is expected to last up to four weeks, will continue on Thursday.

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