‘Mother from hell’ and husband jailed for eight years over daughter’s death

Sentencing her parents Alan and Bernita Davies, both 60, at Mold Crown Court on Thursday, Mrs Justice Stacey said: “There is no evidence of her ever having been shown love and affection.

“Instead, she was verbally abused by you and you showed complete indifference to her suffering.”

The two-day hearing was told Ms Davies was found with dirty, matted hair, had suspected fungal infections on her skin and was “almost skeletal”, with pressure sores and joint contractures which would have prevented her from eating or drinking without assistance.

Andrew Jones KC, prosecuting, said she weighed five stone, nine pounds at the time of her death and was five foot seven inches.

Photos of her injuries were ruled too distressing to be shown in court.

Bernita Davies was described as the “mother from hell” by a neighbour because of the way she was shouted at her three children when they were young.

The last time Ms Davies was seen outside the house, in 2017, her mother was seen shouting at her and calling her “stupid”, the court heard.

Alan Davies, a factory worker, told paramedics his daughter had not been out of bed for 12 months before she died and her younger brother said in December 2022 Ms Davies was bed-bound and too weak to open a box of chocolates he had given her for Christmas.

Mrs Justice Stacey said: “As she lay in extreme pain, wasting away and dying in the front room of the house, you both carried on with your lives, going to work, feeding yourselves from the well-stocked fridge-freezer and larder, while she lay starving and unable to feed herself in the next door room. You simply ignored her.”

Text messages between mother and daughter showed Bernita Davies “ghosting” her, the judge said, and there was no reply to a message from August 2022 in which Ms Davies asked for something to settle her stomach or protein drinks.

Mrs Justice Stacey said she did not accept there was evidence of “genuine remorse”, adding that pre-sentence reports for the couple showed victim-blaming and self-pity.

She said Ms Davies did not have underlying health problems before her death, adding: “It was you, her parents, you were the problem.”

Anxiety 

Bernita Davies, a supermarket supervisor, called paramedics at 8.30am on May 26 2023 to report her daughter’s death and later told officers she had checked on her the previous day and found her sleeping.

But, the court heard Ms Davies was likely to have been dead for several days by the time emergency services were called.

In a statement, Ms Davies’ older sister said she had shown potential at college, where she studied animal care, but her anxiety grew as she got older and she found it hard to leave the house.

The woman, who was not named in court and had been estranged from their parents for a number of years, said: “With the right support and encouragement from my mum and dad she could have done so much with her life.

“Instead she was left to fade into insignificance in the most inhumane way possible. No sentence could ever be enough to atone for that.”

Gross negligence manslaughter

The Davies, who both made no comment in police interviews, were initially charged with gross negligence manslaughter but guilty pleas to the lesser charge of causing or allowing their daughter’s death were accepted earlier this year.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Sarah-Jayne Williams said: “It is difficult to comprehend that a once fit and healthy woman had been able to deteriorate to the point of death with no intervention from her mother and father, who she resided with at the time and would have been fully aware of her deteriorating condition.

“Both Alan and Bernita Davies have acknowledged the level of care they provided for their daughter was woefully inadequate, which led to her tragic and unavoidable death.”

A spokesman for Wrexham Council said: “Steffie Davies was not known to social services in Wrexham, however we will be liaising with North Wales Safeguarding Board in order to consider if this case meets the threshold for a review.”