Kaylea Titford: Maggots fed on body for 48 hours, court told

Kaylea's mother has admitted her manslaughter

Maggots fed on the body of a morbidly obese teenager for at least 48 hours, an expert told the trial of a man accused of her neglect.

Disabled 16-year-old Kaylea Titford died at her home in Newtown, Powys, in October 2020.

She was found by paramedics, lying in soiled clothing and bed linen, Mold Crown Court has heard.

Her father, Alun Titford, 45, denies manslaughter by gross negligence and is on trial.

• Some readers may find details in this case distressing.

The jury heard Kaylea's mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, has pleaded guilty to the offence.

On Tuesday, forensic entomologist Amoret Whitaker said the conditions in the teenager's bedroom were "optimal" for a colonisation of houseflies.

'Unfit for animals'

"The fact they were so closely associated with the body and were shown inside folds of skin makes me believe they were feeding on the body itself," Dr Whitaker said.

"They are attracted to wounds, for instance, such as bed ulcers."

Dr Whitaker said she estimated the temperature in the room to try to age the larvae.

She said: "If the larvae were developing on the body whilst it was still alive, obviously the temperature would be much hotter because the human body temperature is quite warm, so the estimate I've used in this particular case is based on larvae developing on a live human.

"My estimate was 48 hours as the minimum time that they had been feeding on the body and in the bedding."

Dr Whitaker told the court she examined fly papers from Kaylea's room, one of which had at least 60 houseflies on, and another which had at least 50.

Kaylea Titford was found to be morbidly obese, jurors were told

She said she was unable to say for sure whether the flies on the paper had developed in the room.

Kaylea weighed 22st 13lb (145.6kg), with a body mass index of 70, when she died, the court has heard.

The prosecution allege she was living in conditions "unfit for any animal".

Jurors heard her death was a result of "inflammation and infection in extensive areas of ulceration arising from obesity and its complications, and immobility in a girl with spina bifida and hydrocephalus".

Mr Titford, of Colwyn, Newtown, denies manslaughter by gross negligence and an alternative count of causing or allowing the death of a child.