Kaylea Titford: dad Alun Titford found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence after teenage daughter died

The father of a morbidly obese teenage girl who died in her family home has been found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence.

Alun Titford, 45, was convicted of the crime at Mold Crown Court on 7 February 2023. Kaylea Titford, 16, was found dead at the family home on Newtown, Powys in Wales in almost two and a half years earlier.

During the trial, the court was told that the teenager, who weighed 22st 13lbs at the time of her death, was found in conditions which were described as “unfit for any animal”. This included bed linen and the clothes Kaylea was wearing at the time being soiled.

Kaylea suffered from spina difida and used a wheelchair and died after an infection and inflammation from ulceration caused by obesity and immobility. When he was asked during the trial why he had failed to care for his disabled daughter, Titford told the court: “I’m lazy.”

Titford’s conviction comes after Kaylea’s mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, pleaded guilty to the same charge last year. Titford denied the offence at the time along with another charge of causing or allowing the death of a child.

What happened to Kaylea Titford?

Kaylea was found by paramedics on 10 October 2020, who would later tell the court that the “rotting” smell from her bedroom had made then feel sick when they attended. The jury was told that maggots were found near to her body, with the belief that they had been feeding on her since her death.

Kaylea lived in a dirty and cluttered bedroom, according to paramedics. Bottles of urine and used kitchen appliances were stored in her bedroom, alongside old food.

The 16-year-old attended the local school, Newtown High School, where she was described as “funny and chatty” by staff members. However, she did not return to the school after the coronavirus lockdown.

Titford told the court that he believed that Kaylea had gained between two and three stone over lockdown, with the family regularly ordering takeaways four to five nights a week. The prosecution argued that Kaylea had not used her wheelchair since the start of lockdown, a statement Titford would first tell police officers before later telling the court that he had seen her in her wheelchair in the home.

Kaylea had been discharged from physiotherapy and dietetics services years before she died and last seen by a social worker in 2017. Titford said that he would often care for her when she was younger but was not “comfortable” delivering the same care after she reached puberty.

What happened during Alun Titford’s trial?

The jury took a total of seven hours and ten minutes to deliberate. They later found Titford guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence.

Mr Justice Griffiths, who led proceedings, told jurors that they could access support services such as Samaritians, due to the “unusually distressing” details of the case. He added that jurors would be given a 10-year exemption from jury service due to this reason.

Titford was released on bail after he was found guilty. He is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on 1 March to be sentenced, with Mr Justice Griffiths warning that he faces prison time.