Vulnerable girl ‘neglected by her parents’ was found dead on ‘filthy puppy pads’

Kaylea Titford, who suffered from spina bifida, lived in ‘squalor and degradation’ her father’s trial has been told

Kaylea Titford was found dead at her home in Newton, Wales, on 10 October 2020 (Facebook/ Kaylea Titford)

A morbidly obese girl was found dead on filthy “puppy pads” with milk bottles of urine around her bed, a court heard.

Kaylea Titford suffered from back condition spina bifida and hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid on the brain, and used a wheelchair from a young age. Her father Alun Titford, 45, is accused of manslaughter by gross negligence.

A jury has heard graphic detail about the conditions she lived in at her home in Powys, Wales before her death in October 2020 aged just 16.

Her maggot and fly-covered body was found lying on puppy pads, absorbant items similar to nappies that are used to toilet train dogs.

Kaylea had dirty and matted hair, an unwashed body and ulcerated skin, Mold Crown Court was told on Wednesday. She had a body mass index of 70, and was found lying in soiled clothing and bed linen.

Police officers noted an “unbearable” rotting smell inside the property, the jury was told.

Caroline Rees KC, prosecuting, 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 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.”

Alun Titford denies manslaughter by gross negligence and an alternative charge of causing or allowing the death of a child (PA)

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

Her death was 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”, the court heard.

When Titford was interviewed by police, he told them he was “not a very good dad” and his wife looked after Kaylea and did the housework, the court heard.

Titford, of Colwyn, Newtown, denies manslaughter by gross negligence and an alternative charge of causing or allowing the death of a child. Her mother Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, admits manslaughter by gross negligence.

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