Kaylea Titford: Officers found girl's body in filthy condition

Police officers found a disabled 16-year-old girl's body in filthy conditions and the smell was the worst they'd experienced, a court has heard.

Kaylea Titford, who had spina bifida and a build-up of fluid in the brain, became morbidly obese and was bedridden in the months before her death.

Her father Alun Titford denies manslaughter by gross negligence.

A police officer told Mold Crown Court he found her sat up in bed in a "dark and dingy" bedroom in Newtown, Powys.

Some readers may find details in this case distressing.

Her mother Sarah Lloyd Jones previously admitted the same charge of manslaughter by gross negligence.

The court has already heard a paramedic describe a "horrendous" smell in the room where Kaylea was found at around 09:30 GMT on October 2020.

Det Con Steve Williams from Dyfed Powys Police described a cluttered room, with flypaper full of flies next to a 16th birthday balloon and cards.

"Whole room was just disgusting," he told the jury. "This was supposed to be a bedroom and it was full of stuff you wouldn't expect in a bedroom."

"A pool table covered with boxes of unopened medical supplies," Det Con Williams said. "A car pressure washer, cakes, bottles, televisions, games consoles, filth everywhere, bottles of urine stacked in a row by the bed."

The officer was called to a report of a sudden death at the house.

He told the court of the moment he removed layers of sheet from Kaylea's legs: "It didn't compute that this person was alive only hours earlier.

"That was a smell I associate with bodies that have been dead much earlier," he said. "It was the worst I've experienced.

"There were officers visibly gagging from it."

The skin on Kaylea's legs and feet looked dry and ulcerated, he said.

"I'm not sure how much skin there was in some places. It was blotchy, red, rotten flesh."

He said on her ankles the bones were starting to show through her skin.

"There were ulcers everywhere all over lower limbs," adding her hair was matted, clotted and dirty.

Mr Williams told jurors there were dirty puppy pads "stuffed everywhere" including under her legs, under her buttock, between her legs.

"It was clearly Kaylea's human waste that they'd just tried to mop up with pads which over time got dry and crusty. They'd been there for some time," Mr Williams said.

When the officer rolled Kaylea's body forward, he described seeing flies flying up from the back of the body towards his face.

He said: "[It was] more than one. I probably just shut my eyes and tried not to think how many were coming out."

Dt Sgt Steve Vaughan also testified Kaylea's room was cluttered with a "horrendous" and "overpowering" smell.

He also described seeing flies coming from Kaylea's back and said the skin on Kaylea's feet looked like a "deflated balloon".

The trial continues.