Alun Titford, 45, and Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 40, from Newtown, Powys, have been jailed for gross negligence manslaughter after their teenage daughter Kaylea was found dead in squalid conditions. At Swansea Crown Court, Titford was sentenced to seven years and six months, and Lloyd-Jones to six years.
Kaylea, who was born with spina bifida and weighed almost 23 stone, was bedridden for more than six months before her death in October 2020. Emergency services described feeling 'physically sick' as maggots were found feeding on her body in her fly-infested, dirty and cluttered room.
Despite her challenges, those who knew Kaylea remembered her as a 'lovely and pleasant' young woman who showed impressive potential in wheelchair basketball. Her former coach Steve Cox said she had a 'cheeky smile' and was a 'joy to work with', adding that she could have become a Paralympian.
Kaylea's former learning support assistant, Belinda Jones, testified that she was 'fiercely independent' and could push herself around in her wheelchair. However, by the time she was 14, friends noticed she had become quieter and withdrawn.
The case has made international headlines due to the appalling neglect Kaylea suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to care for her. Her father, a father of six, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter, while her mother had already admitted the charge.
