A mum abandoned her disabled daughter who starved to death in a room infested with maggots, a court heard.
Debbie Leitch, 24, who had Down's Syndrome, weighed just 3st 10lb and was covered in scabies when she was found dead in her filthy bedroom on August 29, 2019.
LancsLive reports how Preston Crown Court heard Debbie had not been breathing for several hours when she was found.
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Elaine Clarke, 49, was Debbie's mother and paid carer but was jailed on February 24 for nine years and seven months after pleading guilty to gross negligence manslaughter.
The court heard she ignored social workers, lied to doctors and failed to seek help for her vulnerable daughter.
The Honorable Mrs Justice Yip, sentencing, said: "You left her to die in her squalid room."
John Harrison QC, prosecuting, said Debbie was born in Hastings and was one of four siblings, who each had disabilities or learning difficulties.
The family was known to social services as the children did not attend school regularly and were dirty. In their younger years they were on the Child Protection Register due to concerns over Clarke's parenting abilities and safeguarding fears.
However despite the concerns, Debbie's cousin, Sammy Muggerage described her as a happy, loving girl, who loved horses and would enjoy brushing her long hair.
In 2014 the family moved to Leeds, where Debbie enjoyed daycare activities, attended college and had a boyfriend. But in 2016 the family moved to Blackpool, and no activities were arranged for Debbie, Mr Harrison QC said.
In April 2018, Debbie was admitted to hospital suffering with Norwegian scabies - a condition associated with neglect. A safeguarding referral was made to adult social services, however it is not known what came of that. However carers attended the home on a daily basis to look after Debbie's brother and social services were involved with her sister, the court heard.
In May 2018, Clarke sought an assessment for Debbie to access activities but as she did not attend any follow up appointments, the case was closed.
In Autumn 2018, social workers who visited the home in relation to Debbie's sister were met with filthy conditions and made a further referral for Debbie to access activities.
Once again, Clarke did not engage and the case was closed, the court heard.
During a visit in April 2019, family members were troubled to find Debbie in her bedroom, which was dark and smelly. Debbie was crying for her mother and struggled to walk when she got out of bed. The family was so concerned they warned Clarke if she did not sort things out within a fortnight they would alert the authorities.
In the weeks that followed, Clarke told her family Debbie was up, showering and eating well - but when they returned in July they were faced with a shocking scene.
Mrs Justice Yip said: "As soon as they entered the room, they were hit by an appalling stench. This came from rotting food and dirty nappies in the room. Debbie was lying on filthy bed sheets. Her hair was cut short and her skin was scabby and sore. She was clearly in distress. Your sister and niece recognised that she would die if something was not done."
The family contacted social services and a safeguarding referral was passed to the GP, who visited the home that evening. Before the doctor came, Clarke showered her daughter, dressed her in an oversized hoodie and cleaned the house.
She told the doctor she did not know what her family were talking about and said they had visited before she had changed her daughter's nappy. The doctor noticed Debbie was thin but did not diagnose scabies and did not consider there to be a safeguarding concern.
Follow up calls and visits from the doctor, the surgery and social workers were ignored by Clarke, but carers visiting the home heard Debbie crying out for her mother.
Clarke told them Debbie was "attention seeking".
On August 29, Clarke called emergency services and said her daughter had been ill for a few days, had not been eating and drinking, and had passed away.
Emergency services were met with a shocking scene. The room was filthy with live maggots on the floor, the bed was covered in faeces and there was a foul stench from rotting food.
Debbie was lying in an unnatural position, her clothing was soiled and her skin was encrusted and covered in scabs. She weighed just three stone and 10lbs.
Clarke gave differing accounts to the police about her care - or lack of it - for Debbie on the day she died.
Mrs Justice Yip said: "You were her mother, she lived with you and you were also paid to care for her. The failures in your care of Debbie were so grossly negligent as to be criminal. You may be in denial to yourself as much as to others, but you cannot pretend that is true.
"The condition in which Debbie was found shows that not only did you not do your best but that you must have done absolutely nothing to care for her in the last days of her life.
"Instead, you simply abandoned her to die alone, in pain, without nourishment and in the most awful physical surroundings. The suffering she must have experienced is readily apparent to anyone who has seen the photographs and read the papers in this case.
"Understandably, family members are haunted by their memories of things they saw and what they now know. The impact on the members of the emergency services who attended should also not be overlooked.
"There is evidence from which it is apparent that there were long-standing concerns about your care of Debbie, and indeed your other children. However, you were able to satisfy social services sufficiently for her to remain in your care. It is also clear that before your move to Blackpool, she had been well-nourished and happy.
"Although some doubt has been cast upon the love you showed for her, Debbie seems to have loved you and to have looked to you when she became unwell. Your own inadequacies and difficult upbringing may go some way to explaining a general lack of parenting skills. However, this does not offer an excuse for the way you allowed Debbie to die. There is no real explanation for that, none has been offered and I will not speculate.
"It is hard though to escape the conclusion that you simply abandoned Debbie, leaving her to an inevitable fate.
"Debbie’s death, and the manner of it, has caused great distress to her family. It can only be hoped that, in time, the good memories of Debbie will stay with them as they gradually come to terms with what happened to her."
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