A mother and grandmother of a teenager, who was left to rot to death on a living room mattress, would change his nappy like a baby and put sanitary towels over his bed sores, a court has heard.
Jordan Burling, 18, weighed little more than six stone when paramedics found him lying on a filthy inflatable mattress, wearing a soiled nappy and covered in pressure sores on June 30, 2016.
He died as a result of malnutrition, immobility and his infection-riddled sores after being ‘allowed to decay’ for several weeks before his death, it is alleged.
His mother Dawn Cranston, 45, and his grandmother Denise Cranston, 70, are accused of manslaughter and neglecting him. His sister Abigail Burling, 25, also faces the charges.
Denise revealed that she and Dawn would carry Jordan to the sofa to change his nappies, completely undressing him, she told Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday.
The grandmother said it would take anywhere from 45 minutes to up to two hours to change his nappies, later saying she felt the women were like ‘servants’ to him.
Jordan Burling, 18, was left to ‘rot to death’ at his mother’s home in 2016. His mother Dawn Cranston, 45, (left) and his grandmother Denise Cranston, 70, (right) are accused of manslaughter and neglecting him
Denise Cranston told the court that Jordan would wet or soil himself up to ‘five times’ a day, also adding that the women would put sanitary napkins over the boy’s sores.
When asked who dressed and changed Jordan, Denise said: ‘Me, it was Dawn with my help. I’d lift him. He wouldn’t want me dressing him, he knows I’m more strict than Dawn.’
She explained that she ‘took the weight of’ lifting Jordan’s legs up like a baby, and then Dawn would slip the nappy under him.
Jordan Burling, 18, of Farnley, Leeds, died as a result of malnutrition in June 2016
Denise added: ‘He ended up flat on his back. We tried to put him on his side, but he always ended up on his back. We did all that for him.
‘We were like a servant to him. I don’t know if Dawn thought of it like that.’
Denise said that ‘no one’ was responsible for Jordan’s death.
Previously in the trial, the women are said to have remained remained ’emotionless’ and ‘calm’ as the emergency services carried out CPR on the boy.
Police Constable Ben McNamara, who was the first to arrive at the scene at 12.30pm, said: ‘Due to the lack of emotion and some of the things they said to me I thought the whole family had some sort of learning difficulty or mental health issue.
‘His mother asked me ‘how much does a funeral cost?’
‘They also voluntarily offered me information such as the fact Jordan’s grandfather had hanged himself at the address. She also said she didn’t know she was pregnant with him until the point she was giving birth.’
Denise sat in an armchair, looking on blankly in silence with the TV blaring in the background as the ambulance team fought to save him at Dawn’s home in Butterbowl Garth, Farnley, West Yorkshire.
Jordan’s sister Abigail Burling, 25, also faces charges in her brother’s death
Dawn was not in the room when her son died, waiting in the kitchen instead, jurors heard.
Jurors heard his body was like those of prisoners held in WWII extermination camps.
They also were told of how a police search of the house uncovered the body of Dawn Cranston’s full-term newborn baby, which had been stuffed into a rucksack.
The jury heard from the paramedics who were first at the shocking scene arriving at 11.16am just six minutes after Dawn’s 999 call.
Describing Jordan’s physical state when they arrived one of the paramedics Bridgett Sheppard said: ‘He was very very pale and you could see every bone.’
‘His eyes looked sullen and I noticed he looked to have an adult nappy on.’
Speaking about Jordan’s physical condition Ms Sheppard told the court: ‘I asked the mum why Jordan was so thin and she responded saying he hadn’t been eating for a few weeks.
‘But I remember thinking he shouldn’t be as thin as he was after just two weeks of not eating.
‘The mum didn’t seem bothered by what was going on or seem in a state of shock which seemed unusual.
‘The grandma was just watching us from an armchair at the far side of the room, the TV was on and she didn’t say anything.
‘Even as we performed CPR she didn’t seem bothered just sat very straight-faced with no emotion.’
Also giving evidence was paramedic Robert Tiffany who arrived at the scene in an ambulance with Ms Sheppard on June 30, 2016.
Denise Cranston, Abigail Burling and Dawn Cranston (left to right) are pictured arriving at Leeds Crown Court
Jordan Burling was found at his mother Dawn’s home in Butterbowl Garth, Farnley in West Yorkshire (pictured)
He said: ‘Jordan was unresponsive, unconscious and after three minutes of us being there his heart stopped.
‘As we performed CPR his grandma looked on emotionless and his mum stayed in the kitchen.’
Speaking of Dawn and Denise’s reaction he said: ‘I would definitely say expressionless and unemotional. This was an extremely unusual and stayed in my mind.’
Speaking of the scene where he found Jordan he said: ‘Had a feeling something didn’t seem right
‘It was an unusual house, very cluttered and piled high with boxes and bag. It was unkempt, Jordan was surrounded by cluttered. I’ve never seen anything like it before.’
Another paramedic giving evidence was Graham Farrar, who attended the scene in a rapid response vehicle.
Medics battled as they fought to save Jordan at his mother’s home (street pictured), but she and her mother just looked on blankly, the court heard
Speaking of the families reaction to Jordan’s death he said: ‘We told the grandma who was still in the room that we had no alternative but to stop and she remained silent with a vacant expression.
‘I went to find his mother who was in the kitchen and she remained calm as I told her that Jordan had unfortunately passed away.
Mr Farrar described the reactions as ‘unusual’.
The court heard how paramedics requested the police attend the scene after the unusual conditions surrounding Jordan’s death.
During the opening, the jury heard from prosecutor, Nicholas Lumley QC that Jordan had not had an especially healthy or happy life, even in his early years.
As a young boy, he went to the local primary school, where he soiled himself and defecated on the floor.
Prosecutor, Nicholas Lumley QC said: ‘He had head lice and his teeth were in a very poor state.
From left: Denise Cranston, Dawn Cranston and Abigail Burling leave Leeds Crown Court
‘Jordan went on to Farnley Park High School, but after a couple of terms, his mother wrote to the local authority, telling them that she intended to homeschool him.
‘He never attended school or college again, never took any examinations or achieved any qualifications.’
Mr Lumley QC told a court that Jordan became increasingly anonymous from the moment he was taken out of school.
‘Education and social services played little part in his life,’ he added.
‘He rarely saw the doctor as a child and not at all for some years before his death.
‘He hadn’t seen a dentist since 2009 when 16 of his teeth were treated, four of them removed.
‘He may have been invisible to the authorities but not so to these defendants.’
The trial was told how Jordan’s father Steven Burling, with whom he had limited contact, had sent several text messages asking about his son’s condition.
The trial continues.
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