Mother who left her daughter to die said she was 'attention seeking' when she cried for help
A mother who left her disabled daughter to die in a filthy bedroom told a carer she was "attention seeking" when she heard her crying.
Debbie Leitch, 24, was severely emaciated and riddled with scabies when she suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in Garden Terrace, Blackpool, in August 2019. Debbie, who had Downs Syndrome, was one of two sibblings living in the house with their mother Elaine Clarke and her partner.
Debbie's brother also had medical vulnerabilities and was visited by carers three times a day. In statements read at an inquest into Debbie's death, three carers who worked for Cherish UK, based in Blackpool, described the stench of faeces which hit them when they entered the home.
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They said they rarely saw Debbie as they were there to support her brother. However all three heard a woman crying from an upstairs bedroom, they told the inquiry.
One said he alerted Debbie's mother to her cries, but Clarke said her daughter was "attention seeking" and would fall asleep soon.
When emergency services were called to the house on August 28, they found Debbie in an "unnatural position" on the bedroom floor. Her pyjamas and bedding were soiled and there were maggots in the room.
Home Office Pathologist Dr Alison Armour carried out a post mortem examination on Debbie's body and said she weighed 24kg, giving her a BMI of just 12.
"Her body was severely emaciated and there were severe signs of neglect," Dr Armour said. "There was no evidence of any hygeine needs being met for a considerable amount of time."
One neighbour gave a statement saying she had spoken to Clarke about a week before Debbie died and mentioned she could hear crying. She said Clarke replied: "Oh, that will be my daughter. She's not very well," before making a hasty exit.
One carer, who visited to see Debbie's brother said he formed the impression Clarke "didn't really care about any of her children".
"I based this on the state of the room," he said. "It seemed she left them to fend for themselves. I did not witness any normal family interaction."
On the occasion he saw Debbie he said he was shocked by her appearance. "She was white and thin and looked like a skeleton", he said. However he said he "didn't raise it" as he was there to care for her brother.
Another carer said he may have mentioned the crying to Cherish UK "but not officially" as he was also there to care for Debbie's brother. The inquest, at Blackpool Coroners' Court is scheduled to last five days.