Parents Accused Of Causing Death Of Their Disabled Teenage Daughter By Making Her Morbidly Obese Deny Gross Negligence Manslaughter
- Kaylea Titford, 16, was found dead at home in Newton, Powys in October 2020
- The teen had multiple health problems linked to morbid obesity
- Her mother Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, and father Alun Titford, 44, charged with gross negligence manslaughter and causing or permitting the death of a child
- They are said to have failed to meet the teen’s diet and exercise requirements
- The couple denied the allegations at Mold Crown Court. Trial period is planned for January 2023
The parents of a teenage girl who died of health problems related to obesity will face charges for her death after allegedly neglecting her by making her become overweight.
Kaylea Titford, 16, was found dead in her bed in October 2020 by her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, at the family home in Newtown, Powys.
Ms Lloyd-Jones, 39, and Kaylea’s father Alun Titford, 44, have been charged with death by gross negligence and causing or permitting the death of a child or vulnerable person.
Kaylea Titford (16) was found dead in her bed in October 2020 at the family home in Newton, Powys.
It is alleged that they failed to ensure their daughter’s nutritional needs were met, leading to morbid obesity between March 24 and October 11, 2020.
The indictment also alleges that they failed to ensure that she “was given adequate exercise, was in a hygienic condition, had a safe and hygienic environment, maintained her physical health, or sought reasonable medical attention.”
The couple, from Newton, Powys, denied the charges at Mold Crown Court. A preliminary trial date has been set for January 16, 2023.
Judge Rhys Rowlands granted the couple conditional bail until the trial, which is expected to last four to five weeks.
In an earlier inquest in Pontypridd, South Wales, it was learned that Kaylea, who had spina bifida, had “multiple medical problems” throughout her life and was not mobile.
She was pronounced dead by paramedics at 8:12 am on October 10, 2020 after being discovered by her mother.
A medical cause of death was given as ‘inflammation and infection in extensive areas of ulceration due to obesity and its complications in a girl with spina bifida and hydrocephalus’.
Kaylea, who had spina bifida, had “multiple medical problems” all her life and was not mobile.
Alun Titford, 44, and Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, from Newtown, were photographed exiting Mold Crown Court
Coroner Graeme Hughes adjourned the investigation until the conclusion of the criminal investigation.
“While the medical cause of death suggested by Dr. James may itself be natural, the circumstances that hastened Kaleigh’s death are being investigated by Dyfed-Powys Police,” he said.
“As such, these studies give me reason to suspect that Kaleigh’s death may be unnatural, in the sense that a natural cause of death may be considered unnatural if there is imputable human involvement or contribution to that death.”