https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10547705/Mother-slowly-starved-24-year-old-Downs-Syndrome-daughter-death-jailed.htmlMother who slowly starved her 24-year-old Down's Syndrome daughter to death in filthy bedroom covered in takeaway boxes and used nappies is jailed for nearly 10 years
Elaine Clarke, 49, ‘bought herself handbags’ while daughter wasted away
Debbie Leitch, 24, was found in a dark, faeces-covered bedroom in Blackpool
Emergency services also found 'a live maggot next to Ms Leitch's body'
Clarke was today jailed for nine years and seven months at Preston Crown Court
By Jamie Phillips For Mailonline
Published: 14:55, 24 February 2022 | Updated: 15:16, 24 February 2022
A mother who slowly starved her Down' Syndrome daughter to death in a filthy bedroom covered in takeaway boxes and used nappies has been jailed for nearly 10 years. Elaine Clarke, 49, ‘bought herself handbags and shoes’ while daughter Debbie Leitch, 24, wasted away in a dark, faeces-covered room which ‘smelled of death’. Emergency services described the scene as 'truly shocking', with Ms Leitch's face 'completely encrusted with scabs and thickened skin, such that she was no longer recognisable as being a young female' when she was discovered on August 29, 2019. She was suffering to such an extent that police were initially unable to identify her sex when they found her body weighing just 3st 10lb. A post mortem examination gave her cause of death as 'severe emaciation and neglect with extensive and severe scabies skin infection'.
Clarke had received weekly benefit payments of £215 to care for her daughter, but she pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter in December having initially denied the offence. She was today jailed for nine years and seven months after admitting to gross negligent manslaughter at Preston Crown Court. The court heard how Ms Leitch's condition had 'deteriorated dramatically' in the months leading up to her death. Elaine Clarke (left), 49, ‘bought herself handbags and shoes’ while daughter Debbie Leitch (right), 24, wasted away in a dark, faeces-covered room which ‘smelled of death’ John Harrison QC, prosecuting, told the court of the terrible conditions that Debbie's decomposing body was found in when emergency services discovered her. He said: 'Debbie was extremely emaciated with a severe rash to the scalp, the face and the soles of the feet. The jumper and trousers worn by the deceased were filthy and mites were found crawling on them. A urine soiled nappy was found inside her trousers. A live maggot was found next to the body. As her clothing was cut away from her body, bits of skin came away with it as it had adhered to her body. Mites were found crawling all over her back. The trousers were covered in liquid faeces. Debbie’s hair was falling out due to the scabies rash. Her face was covered with the rash. Debbie’s ribs were visible through the skin. All of her limbs were wasted and the rash was widespread on them. Her buttocks were completely covered in faeces which extended down to the thighs. As the body was examined, large areas of skin fell away from the body. More than 30 per cent of her skin was covered in the rash, which was more severe in some parts of the body than others.'
Clarke’s niece, Sammy Mugridge, visited the home a month before Debbie’s death. She found the daughter lying on a filthy mattress in a dark, foul-smelling room covered in takeaway boxes and dirty nappies. She warned Clarke that Debbie would die if she was not looked after and subsequently reported her to social services. Ms Mugridge told the court: 'I’ll never forget the last day I saw Debbie alive. I knew she was ill and not well, but the sight of her in the room will live with me forever. The stench was unbelievable I can only describe it as the stench of death. Debbie was so skinny. Her hair had been hacked off her skin looked like raw flesh. It was like something out of a horror movie.'
Following a safeguarding report on July 26, a month before her death, a GP from Whitegate Health Centre arranged a home visit the same day. As a result, Clarke made efforts to clean up the room and put her daughter in the shower. However, the court heard that Ms Leitch 'screamed throughout the shower' as the pain on her irritated skin 'must have been excruciating'. Clarke reassured the GP that she was treating her daughter's skin infection with medication. The doctor made arrangements to make a second visit on August 12, but when he arrived, he was unable to gain access to the property and attempts to arrange a follow-up were ignored. Clarke similarly presented her daughter to Blackpool Council social workers, telling them she was 'doing really well, was eating really well, and was spending time downstairs'.
But Ms Leitch's condition continued to deteriorate and she was heard crying and calling 'mummy, mummy' by a neighbour in the days leading up to her death, the court heard. When Clarke finally called 999, it was determined that Debbie had been dead for between eight and 36 hours. Clarke initially denied the unlawful killing of her vulnerable daughter, but changed her plea to guilty on January just 10 days before the case was due to go to trial. Her former partner Robert Bruce, 45, from Rothwell in Leeds, was charged with allowing or causing the death of a vulnerable adult, but this was later dropped. Passing sentence today, Judge Amanda Yip told the defendant: 'You are responsible for Debbie’s death. You were her mother, she lived with you and you were also paid as her carer. You have at times continued to minimise your responsibility. You say you did your best. You may be in denial, to yourself as much as others, but you cannot say that is true. Not only did you not do your best, but you must have done absolutely nothing to care for her. Instead, you simply abandoned her to die alone, in pain, without nourishment, in the most awful state. The pain she must have felt is apparent.'
The judge continued: 'Debbie was starved, the scabies was allowed to run out of control, she became more and more weakened until she died. In her last days, sue was denied the most basic care and dignity.'
Clarke must serve at least two thirds of her prison sentence before she is eligible for release, after which she will remain on licence.
