Death of emaciated Leeds man is 'one of most shocking cases' Yorkshire prosecutors ever handled

The mother and grandmother of 18-year-old Jordan Burling were today convicted of his manslaughter following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

His mother, Dawn Cranston, 45, and grandmother, Denise Cranston, 70, were both found guilty of manslaughter.

His sister, Abigail Burling, 25, was found not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of an alternative charge of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult.

Dawn Cranston had earlier pleaded guilty to concealing the birth of a baby boy, whose decomposing body was found by officers searching the property after Jordan's death.

Gerry Wareham, chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "This is one of the most shocking cases CPS Yorkshire and Humberside has ever dealt with.

"These women had a duty of care towards Jordan. However, the CPS showed the court that instead they allowed him to rot to death in his own home.

"His bed sores were so deep they left bone exposed and when he died, he weighed less than six stone. An expert said it was the worst case of malnutrition they have seen in 26 years’ experience, and likened Jordan’s condition to that of a World War Two concentration camp victim.

"Words cannot begin to convey the extent of Jordan’s terrible suffering at the hands of the very people he should have been able to trust the most. Those responsible for that suffering have been found guilty of causing his death."

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The women are expected to be sentenced at the court later this week.