Girl who died weighing 23st ‘could have been a Paralympian’ before her death – as parents spent thousands on takeaway

A SCHOOLGIRL who died in her squalid bedroom weighing 23 stone could have been a Paralympian, her sports coach said.

Tragic Kaylea Titford, who had spina bifida and hydrocephalus, passed away on October 10, 2020, while laying in “severely soiled” sheets and covered in maggots.

WNSKaylea Titford tragically died in squalor covered in maggots[/caption]

PAThe talented wheelchair basketball player could have been a Parilympian, her coach has said[/caption]

The teen’s squalid room was cluttered with rubbish and puppy padsWNS

Her mum Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, and father Alan Titford, 45, were jailed for over 13 years for the “shocking and prolonged neglect” of their disabled daughter during lockdown.

They allowed the 16-year-old’s weight to balloon as her health drastically deteriorated while confined to her filthy adapted room in Newton, Wales.

The pair spent over £1,000 on takeaways and fizzy drinks in the three months before Kaylea’s death.

This included 62 fast food meals in July 2020, 82 in the August and 93 in September.

Kaylea had been eating five takeaways a week to the point she was “dangerously obese” and “living in conditions not fit for animals”.

But Lloyd-Jones and Titford ignored the teen’s pleas for help and failed to care for her.

During a harrowing trial, jurors were told Kaylea had been fiercely independent” before the pandemic – taking part in PE lessons in her wheelchair.

Her proud former sports coach has since told how the schoolgirl was capable of competing on an international stage.

Steve Cox said the “quiet yet cheeky” youngster showed “impressive potential” on the wheelchair basketball court.

He told the BBC: “She was a wonderful person and used to try card games – and she could cheat better than me in the end.

“She was very pleasant, a joy to work with. It was a shame we couldn’t have worked with her a bit more. She was quite impressive.

“We would have liked to get her higher up the disability sport ladder for, I’d say, we could have got her into the Paralympics at a push.”

Steve explained many people thought Kaylea could be a “star of the future” as she took to the sport “like a duck to water.”

But he said she was “quieter and withdrawn” when they crossed paths again two years later.

When Titford, who denied manslaughter by gross negligence, was asked in court why he failed his daughter so badly, he told jurors: “I’m lazy.”

He was found guilty of neglecting the teen by allowing her to become morbidly obese and caged for seven years and six months in a televised live court sentencing.

Lloyd-Jones was jailed for six years after she previously pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The judge rejected claims the parents –  who had six children together – “lacked support” from authorities, saying they simply “did not make full use of it.”

Mr Justice Griffiths told Swansea Crown Court: “‘Help was there for the taking. It was there for the asking.

“It had been given before. Both defendants completely neglected to get the help that Kaylea needed and sometimes it was ignored when offered.”

Kaylea was forced to use “puppy pads” to go to the toilet on her urine-soaked floor.

Her nails had also not been cut for six months and “well grown” maggots were found on her body.

Lloyd-Jones had even joked about the flies in the teen’s room after Kaylea messaged her saying they were “doing her head in”.

When the youngster said, “It’s little baby ones landing one me”, her mother replied: “They like you lol.”

Kaylea, who needed help with everyday tasks, had not used the toilet or washed for six months and her hair was matted.

There were traces of fly excrement on her chair hoist with horrific pictures showing the “squalor and degradation” Kaylea lived in.

At the time of her death, Kaylea weighed 22.9 stone and was “morbidly obese” with a BMI of 70.

Emergency crews were called to her home following a 999 call made by Kaylea’s grandmother.

When police arrived, one officer was “almost sick” from the stench of unwashed faeces in her bathroom.

Paramedics found her sat upright in bed with her clothes soiled and her back covered in sores.

Kaylea’s armpits were almost black and she had “weeping, raw” ulcers so deep they went down to the bone.

There were maggots on her body as well where she had “lain in her own filth” as all over her soiled bedsheets and absorbent pads.

The maggots appeared to be “feeding on the body itself” for at least 48 hours.

A post mortem found she died as a result of inflammation and infection in extensive areas of ulceration arising from obesity and its complications and immobility of a girl with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

When arrested, Titford claimed to be “shocked” by his daughter’s death and claimed Kaylea was mum Lloyd-Jones’ responsibility.

He also blamed his “laziness” for the state of Kaylea’s bedroom and told officers: “I’m not a very good dad”.

Speaking after the sentencing, the teen’s family said they were “incredibly saddened” by her death.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Rees added: “The conditions in which Kaylea was found were incomprehensible, and the impact of what they saw and experienced will be long-lasting for the officers and ambulance service staff who attended.

“To think Kaylea was able to attend school just months before she died is heartbreaking.

“While we did all we could to get justice for Kaylea, nothing will take away the loss of a teenage girl who was so badly let down by the very people who should have been caring for her.”

Alan Titford, 45, said he was ‘lazy’ when asked why he neglected his daughterAthenaPASarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, was caged for six years following Kaylea’s death[/caption]