The daughter of an elderly woman who was found dying amidst mounds of piled high rubbish has been jailed.
Today Therese Curphey was sent down after a jury at Liverpool Crown Court found her guilty of gross negligence manslaughter, despite her pleas of innocence.
The 53-year-old had finally called the emergency services in February 2017, telling the 999 call operator that her mother Theresa Curphey was "cold and clammy, had stopped talking and was making horrible noises."
When paramedics arrived at her West Derby, Liverpool home they had to fight through heaps of objects to get to the sick pensioner, who was in a grave state.
Despite their best efforts the 91-year-old died in hospital later that day, Livepool Echo reported.
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Last week Curphey Jnr shouted "How could you do this to me?" at jurors after they read out their guilty verdict.
Today she sent a six page letter explaining her viewpoint to the court room and refused to come up in person, leaving Judge Andrew Menary QC to address an empty dock.
He said: "Nothing could have prepared the paramedics for the scene they found when they responded to the emergency call made by you that morning.
"After tunnelling through the years of hoarded rubbish they found in an upstairs bedroom, the abandoned soul that was your mother.
"She was lying on her back on the floor next to the bed. She was making noises and wailing sounds described as strange animal noises.
"The bottom half of her body was wet with urine and covered in faeces. There was little the paramedics could do at the home and Mrs Curphey was taken to hospital where she died later on that day."
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The judge said pathology and medical evidence shown in court had painted a "truly shocking picture" of Mrs Curphey's final weeks alive.
He continued: "The evidence supports the conclusion that a week or more before her death your mother fell over in the bedroom onto the floor where she was found - and in falling she broke three ribs.
"At the time, you were your mother's sole carer. She relied on you for general day to day activities and food and water.
"If you were fulfilling any part of that role, then you could not have failed to be aware of your mother's worsening condition over the following week or so.
"During that period she developed pressure sores across large parts of her upper and lower back, so deep in parts that the underlying bone was visible and infected.
"Areas of abscesses had formed around the broken ends of her ribs and ultimately her body was overwhelmed by sepsis .
"She must have been in unimaginable pain."
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Mother and daughter had lived reclusive lives in two separate houses on the same street.
Judge Menary continued: "The living conditions were appalling - with no central heating, little or no running water, one functioning toilet, no proper washing facilities, and only a combination microwave to prepare food.
"By any measure, neither house was fit for human habitation.
"No one doubts that you loved your mother or that for the most part, you did not want any harm to come to her.
"But I have no doubt that your attitude towards Mrs Curphey became less tolerant as her health failed and her dementia became progressively worse."
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Curphey was sentenced to four years, half of which she will spend behind bars, half in custody.
John McDermott, QC, defending Curphey, said his client had reached her 50s without knowing she herself suffered from autism and explained how she would avoid any socialising or contact with the outside world "because of her multi-faceted condition."
The barrister said: "There's no explanation I could give to the court.
"In her early 20s, post traumatic stress syndrome hit, with anxiety and depression a feature of her early life."
