A mum who slowly starved her own disabled daughter to death has been jailed for nine years and seven months.
Elain Clarke, 49, confessed to killing her daughter and was convicted of gross negligent manslaughter of 24-year-old Debbie Leitch, who had Down’s Syndrome.
She died from severe emaciation and neglect - with the judge saying Clarke "abandoned her to die in pain, without nourishment in the most awful surroundings."
A post-mortem examination found that Debbie had an extensive scabies skin infection.
Her emaciated body was only discovered inside her house in Blackpool, Lancashire, by emergency services on August 29, 2019.
A court was told that she wasn't immediately "recognisable as a woman" as her face was crusted and there were maggots on the floor and the room was covered in dried faeces.
Sentencing Clarke today, judge Amanda Yip summarised: "The contrast from the happy smiling girl on the pictures from Leeds and the time of her death could not be more marked.
"Her hair was falling out. Scabies mites had been allowed to breed and multiply. Her skin was crusted.
"Her cause of death was neglect and emaciation."
Mrs Justice Yip added: "Your daughter Debbie Leith died at your home in August 2019. You pleaded guilty in December 2021.
"Debbie was 24, she had Down's syndrome and medical conditions. She was vulnerable and relied on you for care.
"Social services had concerns about your parenting, The children were on child protection when they were younger.
"Sammy Loverage, Debbie's cousin, paints a picture of a happy, loving girl.
"When living in Leeds, Debbie enjoyed a range of daycare activities.
"She had a boyfriend and went to college. Photos from that time show her with a beaming smile. She idolised you."
Mrs Justice Yip accused Clarke of "failing to discharge" her responsibility over Debbie's care.
She added: "When social workers visited Debbie's sister they found filthy living conditions and made a new referral for daycare, but again appointments were not kept and the case was closed."
Describing when relatives visited, Mrs Justice Yip said: "You said she should be left alone but her niece went to visit her in her room.
"It was dark, Debbie was huddled in bed, her pyjamas were heavily stained.
"She was struggling to walk. She cried for you.
"The family were horrified and said if you did not look after her they would report you to the authorities.
"You reassured them she was now up, eating and looked after."
When Debbie died, the 24-year-old weighed just 3st and 10lbs and a doctor told the court she had been dead for up to 36 hours before the ambulance was called.
Six people were initially arrested in connection with Debbie’s tragic death.
This included Clarke’s former partner, Robert Bruce, 45, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, who was charged with allowing or causing the death of a vulnerable adult.
The charge against him was later dropped.
A court heard how the parents had a history of social services involvement.
In September 1997, Debbie and a sibling were placed on the child protection register and remained there until 2011.
Throughout that period, East Sussex social services had concerns about Elaine Clarke, her partners and her parenting.
Previously Clarke pleaded not guilty to killing her vulnerable daughter, but only 10 days before the case was due to go to trial she changed her plea.
In August 2018, Debbie was admitted to Clifton Hospital with Norwegian Scabies and a safeguarding referral was made for her.
Further support was put in place for her sibling, and carers visited the family daily and continued to do so under her death.
A number of appointments were also made to help support Debbie but Clarke did not attend them.
Family members began to notice a decline in Debbie's health, with one warning Clarke that if she did not look after her daughter better, she would report her.
On one occasion, the same family member told the court that they saw Debbie at home wearing dirty and rotting pyjamas, her hair appeared to have been hacked off and her skin was cracked.
She described Debbie as looking 'half-dead' to police, and found her lying on filthy bed sheets with dirty nappies around her.
When she confronted Clarke about it, she seemed uninterested in the conversation, and the family member said she seemed only interested in claiming benefits for Debbie.
At a later date, Clarke cleaned up the house and scrubbed Debbie in an "excruciating" shower to cover up her treatment of her daughter.
A carer from Cherish UK, who was visiting one of Debbie's siblings, said she could hear Debbie crying for her mum from another room, and neighbours also reported hearing her in the days before her death.
On the day Debbie died, Clarke called an ambulance and told them her daughter had died.
When ambulances arrived they were struck by the smell in Debbie's bedroom, which the court was told was like something decomposing.
Debbie was "not immediately recognisable as a woman", surrounded by maggots and faeces.
She had been dead for some time, but Clarke claimed to police she had fed her at 5pm that day and Debbie had said she loved her.
A doctor concluded to the court that Debbie had been dead for up to 36 hours before the ambulance was called.
A statement issued on behalf of Debbie's family previously described her as a "wonderful girl" who was "always happy, and always friendly".
In a victim impact statement, Debbie's father Thomas Leitch says he heard about Debbie's death from a post on Facebook.
He wrote: "As a parent, you never expect to go to your own child's funeral."
He says Elaine Clarke asked no family to attend the funeral and he stayed away out of respect for her wishes.
Mr Leitch says he now feels anger knowing Debbie died at the hands of her mother.
He says he gets upset when he is out and about. His parents have since died since Debbie's death.
He wishes Debbie's wish to live near him had been allowed.
