Woman left to die in squalor by father and brother, court told

A vulnerable woman died in "horrific" conditions after her father and brother failed to care for her or seek medical help, a court has heard.

Julie Burdett, 61, weighed 4st 10lb (30kg) when paramedics were called to her Leicester home, jurors were told.

Leicester Crown Court heard "extreme" hoarders Ralph Burdett, 93, and his son Philip left Julie to suffer "dreadful" injuries for two weeks in January 2019.

Ralph and Philip, 59, both deny her manslaughter.

Ms Burdett was found dead in a small bedroom at the back of a bungalow in Oakside Crescent at about 15:30 GMT on 15 January following a 999 call.

The court heard she had been "left in her room, wedged against the bed in a space where there was barely room to move."

She died from extreme ulcerations, the court was told, with an expert commenting she had "never seen such a severe level of pressure damage" in her 40-year career.

Opening the case, prosecutor Timothy Cray QC said: "What you are going to hear in this court room is going be hard for you to forget - ever I should think.

"Parts of the evidence, at least at the start, are shocking and I'm afraid they might cause you feelings of disgust and even revulsion."

The court heard Ms Burdett was "intelligent and articulate", but developed a disease similar to multiple sclerosis by 1998, leaving her needing a wheelchair when she left the house.

The defendants lived with her, and Philip was paid a carer's allowance of £60 per week to help his sister, the court was told.

But Mr Cray said Ms Burdett was neglected for "weeks and parts of it were deliberate".

"They did not move Julie, they did not clean her, they did not feed her properly and they did not call for medical or other help," he said.

The court heard the defendants told police they did not call for medical assistance because it was "against Julie's wishes".

"Ultimately, the result of their neglect was that Julie died," Mr Cray added.

"She died from dreadful injuries and surrounded by filth and squalor.

"The central allegation that we make is that their neglect led to Julie's death and that the neglect was so exceptionally bad that it amounted to the crime of manslaughter."

The trial continues.

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