How Newtown, Powys, teen Kaylea Titford died in 'squalor'

Maggots were found on her bed, the pressure sores on her back and legs were so deep that bone could be seen, and she lay in squalor surrounded by mess in the room that was specially adapted for her spina bifida, and that should have afforded her a safe place to grow up.

She was a funny and chatty teenager who was fiercely independent, at times stubborn and “who knew how to play people”, her teachers told her father's trial.

She took pride in being able to do things by herself despite being a wheelchair user for most of her life. Kaylea actively played basketball and tennis, and her talent for wheelchair sports was spotted by national coaches with hopes that one day she might compete at the Paralympic Games. 

But all that would change as she shielded at home during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.

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As a disabled girl, Kaylea was mostly bedbound between March and October 2020 because of her spina bifida – a lifelong back condition which meant she could not feel below her waist. 

During that time, she was fed takeaway food on most days, her diet was not under control and her weight ballooned to almost 23 stone.

Kaylea would struggle to move, adding pressure on her legs and back which would cause bed sores that were bone deep.

The chaotic living conditions in Kaylea's bedroom. (Image: Dyfed Powys Police)

Kaylea was found cold to the touch in her “messy and chaotic” bedroom by her mum on Saturday morning, October 10, 2020. 

A paramedic, who had attended hundreds of deaths, said the teenager was dirty, her hair was matted, and her lips were blue. The smell coming from the room was like nothing he had experienced before making him and police feel physically sick when confronted by it.

VERDICT | Dad found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of his teenage daughter.
On October 10, 2020, our officers attended the home of 16-year-old Kaylea Titford following a report from her family that she had died ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Dw8wA3SVUZ

— Heddlu Dyfed-Powys Police (@DyfedPowys) February 7, 2023

Kaylea was found with several soiled incontinence pads, milk and fizzy drink bottles of urine from her catheter, faeces on the floor, fly paper full of flies hanging from the ceiling.

Her room was surrounded by clutter including a pool table, boxes and birthday balloon and cards.

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Her specialist bed with cobwebbed hoist was unplugged from the mains. The wetroom to help clean Kaylea had been broken for months and was mainly used for the family dog.

Fly paper hangs in front of Kaylea's bedroom window. (Image: Dyfed Powys Police)

Her parents Alun Titford and Sarah Lloyd-Jones will be sentenced by a judge for their “truly exceptionally bad” duty of care during those months that has been deemed by a court to be criminal. 

Titford was found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter by a jury following a three-week trial at Mold Crown Court, and Lloyd-Jones admitted the same charge in December for their part in allowing and causing the extreme neglect of a vulnerable child in 2020.

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Lloyd-Jones was a trained community carer who was looking after Kaylea in between shifts, while Titford was working long hours as a removals man travelling across the UK. 

A doctor warned the pair about Kaylea’s weight having a risk on her life but their daughter’s weight continued to go in the wrong direction.

The bed of Kaylea Titford who was found dead at her home in Newtown, Powys (Image: Dyfed Powys Police/PA Wire)

Her parents were also advised by medical professionals to check her feet regularly to avoid pressure sores. 

The court heard that the case was “revolting and horrific” but the family had been let down by children’s health and social services who had failed to recognise Kaylea’s situation.

The pair will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on March 1 after a harrowing trial which laid bare the life of a young woman who was entering adulthood, but who died in circumstances described in the courtroom as being unfit for any animal.