Mum and grandma jailed after teenager left to "rot to death" in Farnley

The mother and grandmother of a teenager who was allowed to "rot to death'' on an inflatable mattress have been jailed for four years and three years respectively.

Jordan Burling was said to have resembled the victim of a Second World War death camp when paramedics found him lying on a makeshift bed in his Leeds home, weighing just 6st (38kg).

His 45-year-old mother, Dawn Cranston, and his grandmother, Denise Cranston, 70, were jailed at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday after they were found guilty of manslaughter earlier this week.

The court also heard how police searching the house in the Farsley area of Leeds found the decomposed body of a baby, which had been in a rucksack in a wardrobe for about 14 years.

Sentencing the two women and Mr Burling's sister, who was found guilty of a lesser charge, the judge, Mr Justice Spencer said: "It is profoundly disturbing and almost beyond belief that Jordan Burling, a young man of 18, should have been allowed to die in his own home here in Leeds in 2016, in the bosom of his family, through the failure of all three of you to take the elementary, humane step of summoning medical assistance for him when it was obvious that for many days, if not weeks, he was quite literally at death's door."

He said the pictures of the teenager in an emaciated state were "hauntingly reminiscent of starving victims of extermination camps in the Second World War''.

The judge said: "It is important to emphasise that this was not a deprived household in material terms, nor were any of you inadequate to the point that you were unable to live a reasonably normal life outside the home.

"Although the house was full of clutter you all had mobile phones, laptop or tablet computers and a great deal of other equipment.

"The house was well-stocked with food. There were three refrigerators or freezers.''

He said: "Through your gross negligence, a precious human life was lost needlessly.''

The court heard how paramedics were called to house on June 30 2016, and Mr Burling went into cardiac arrest within five minutes of them arriving. He died despite attempts to revive him.

The jury heard how the women said they believed Mr Burling did not want medical attention after an incident in which a doctor refused to see them after being "a minute late'' for an appointment - a story the judge said had "acquired the status almost of a folk legend within the family''.

The judge said Dawn Cranston was suffering from a dissociative disorder, which also reduced her culpability in relation to her not reporting the birth or death of the baby found in the wardrobe.

She was given a 12-month sentence for endeavouring to conceal a birth, which she had admitted earlier, to run concurrent with her sentence for manslaughter

Earlier, Mr Burling's aunt, Susan Burling, read a victim personal statement on behalf of his father, Steven.

Ms Burling said the family were trying to cope with a "living nightmare''.

The statement said: "I just can't understand why all these horrific things have happened to me and my family."

Abigail Burling, 25, was jailed for 18 months. She was found not guilty of manslaughter on Tuesday, but guilty of an alternative charge of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable person.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Bryar, of West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: “Jordan Burling’s death was completely unnecessary and is an absolute tragedy, given the circumstances in which it occurred.

“We are in no doubt that Jordan would still be alive today if those convicted of allowing him to literally waste away and die in front of them had sought the medical attention he so obviously needed.

“Why they chose to ignore the terrible state he was in has not been explained in any reasonable way and remains something only they know. It is almost beyond belief that his mother, grandmother and sister, who should have had his best interests at heart, would allow him to slowly decline towards a death that could so easily have been avoided.

“Jordan’s father and other relatives are utterly devastated that he has died at such a young age and in his family home while surrounded by those whose responsibility it should have been to care for and protect him from harm."

James Rogers, chair of the Safer Leeds executive, said a full independent review was under way into Jordan's death.

Speaking outside court, he said he could not comment further until the review was complete and refused to answer questions about the role of agencies in Mr Burling's life.