UK father guilty of manslaughter of obese disabled teen
Kaylea Titford, 16, lived in conditions ‘unfit for any animal’ before her death, it’s alleged.
A jury on Tuesday found a British man guilty of manslaughter after his disabled 16-year-old daughter died at home suffering from obesity and living in horrific conditions.
Kaylea Titford, who had hydrocephalus and spina bifida, was found dead at her home in Wales, weighing 146 kilogrammes and lying on soiled toilet pads made for house-training puppies, the court heard.
Spina bifida is a condition that develops in the womb, causing spinal and neurological problems. It can also cause hydrocephalus, or a build-up of fluid on the brain.
Titford, who used a wheelchair, died in October 2020 after suffering inflammation and infected ulcers due to her obesity and immobility. Maggots were found on her body, the jury heard.
Welsh police said these conditions "were abhorrent, and indicated shocking neglect over a prolonged period of time, both environmentally and physically".
Her father Alun Titford, a 45-year-old removals worker, was convicted of her manslaughter by gross negligence, after pleading not guilty at Mold Crown Court in north Wales.
Her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, had pleaded guilty to the charge last year.
The father initially argued that he was not equally guilty for her death because he worked long hours and believed his partner was caring for her.
Titford told the court he did nothing to take care of his daughter, saying "I'm lazy". He said he had stopped her physical care after she reached puberty.
He later acknowledged in court that he was equally responsible for his daughter's death.
The couple will be sentenced on March 1, with judge Richard Griffiths saying their offence was severe enough to warrant a jail term.
Kaylea Titford had attended mainstream school until Britain's first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020. Police said she had been a talented wheelchair basketball player and popular with her peers.
Prosecutors said she appeared to have outgrown her wheelchair and not used it since the start of lockdown.
The case also highlighted a lack of oversight by authorities. She had not been seen for years by social workers, and had stopped going to dieticians and physiotherapists.
The case material was deemed so distressing by the judge that he exempted jury members from serving again for 10 years.
