Woman eaten alive by maggots in horror home full of ‘rotting faeces’

A woman was eaten alive by maggots in a horror home covered in mould and "rotting faeces", an inquest heard.

Donna Bettley lived in conditions described as "grim and distressing" in the home in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, she shared with her sister and father.

Her inquest heard the 42-year-old's bed was covered in mould and rotting faeces.

She died of sepsis after a maggot and larvae infestation in pressure sores on her legs and lower back, Hull Live reports.

Her body was found covered in flies and maggots, which had laid eggs in her skin and rooted into her flesh.

Although the woman's dad was arrested on suspicion of neglect after Miss Bettley's death, the CPS found there was not enough evidence for a prosecution.

But Hull Coroner’s Court heard the ceiling in the home collapsed as a result of a burst pipe and rubbish had piled up in the property.

Miss Bettley's mum, who died in August 2014, had asked her relatives not to clean the house because she wanted to do it.

Coroner Professor Paul Marks said the evidence heard was "grim and distressing" for Miss Bettley's estranged brother, who was the only family member who attended the hearing last week.

At one point, the brother, who had left the family home when he was 18, said: "I am utterly astounded. I'm in shock to be honest and need time to process what I am hearing."

Officers attended the home in Bridlington on March 19, 2016, and found the woman had been dead for between five and eight days.

Dr Kirsten Hope, Home Office forensic pathologist, said: "She would have still been alive when the maggots would have taken over the infected area.

"I would say in my professional opinion that injuries like this would be consistent with neglect cases, but I have never seen anything like this in my entire career."

Detective Constable Samantha Chester, of Humberside Police , told the hearing: "We arrested and cautioned Donna's father on suspicion of neglect.

"In interview he replied no comment to most of the questions we asked.

"We gave the evidence bundle to the CPS, but decided there was not enough evidence to charge him.

"After further conversations, we know how much of a powerful parental figure Donna's mum was and how Donna's father and sister wanted to up hold her dying wish with reference to not touch the house until she or Donna was well enough."

The inquest heard smell at the property was so horrendous that an officer who attended the scene said he had to throw his clothes away

Forensic officer Geoffrey Birkett described the scene as "the largest amount of human faeces he had ever seen" in his 25 years on the job dealing with crime scenes.

Evidence said Miss Bettley’s bed was black with mould and rotting faeces and was found slumped on the floor covered in more faeces with swarms of maggots and flies.

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