Jailed, family of the teenager left to ‘rot to death’ in his bed
THE mother, grandmother and sister of a teenager who died looking like a ‘wartime extermination camp victim’ were all jailed yesterday.
Jordan Burling, 18, was left to ‘rot to death’ at home because the trio couldn’t be bothered to call a doctor or help him as he wasted away.
A distressing photograph – seen by the jury during the trial – shows the previously ‘ chubby’ teenager to be little more than skin and bones. The picture was taken by his mother, Dawn Cranston, 45.
By the time she finally dialled 999 in June 2016, her son weighed less than six stone, was covered in pressure sores, was wearing nappies and couldn’t move from an inflatable mattress on the living room floor. He died minutes later.
Cranston and her mother Denise Cranston, 70, were found guilty at Leeds Crown Court earlier this week of Jordan’s manslaughter. Sister Abigail Burling, 25, was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable person.
Dawn Cranston had also pleaded guilty to concealing the birth of a child after police searching their house in Leeds found the 14-year-old remains of a ‘stillborn’ baby hidden inside a rucksack in a wardrobe. She had been pregnant and given birth to the boy in secret, the court heard.
The judge made his views clear as he sentenced Dawn Cranston to four years in jail, Denise Cranston to a three-year sentence and Burling to 18 months.
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... 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.
‘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. Through your gross negligence, a precious human life was lost needlessly.’
Commenting on photos of Jordan, the judge said: ‘They are hauntingly reminiscent of starving victims in the extermination camps of the Second World War.’ Outside court, a family spokesman said: ‘ We feel betrayed by the people we trusted to care for Jordan.’
A full independent review into the family’s contacts with agencies is being carried out. When he was a little boy, social services, health professionals and teachers were concerned about the care he was receiving.
Numerous appointments were made and all were ignored by his parents, and the family apparently dropped off the radar of agencies. Jordan was home schooled from the age of 12 and the education authority also lost track of him.
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Bryar, of West Yorkshire Police, said: ‘Jordan Burling’s death was completely unnecessary and is an absolute tragedy, given the circumstances in which it occurred. 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.’