The judge described the case as being “highly unusual and exceptionally distressing”.
A woman who left her paralysed sister to rot in a filthy home filled with the smell of human waste and decaying flesh has avoided jail despite admitting her role in the former nurse’s death.
Michelle Neill, 55, pleaded guilty to the gross negligence manslaughter of her sister Kelly Neill, 48, who died from sepsis after suffering severe infected bed sores while living in what prosecutors described as “toxic” conditions.
At the Old Bailey, Judge Richard Marks KC handed Neill a three-year prison sentence suspended for three years, describing the case as “highly unusual and exceptionally distressing”.
Earlier, Neill sobbed in the dock as her nephew, Jake Neill-Knight, 26, accused her of being “pure evil” for failing to look after his mother. Prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC told the court that Kelly Neill died after developing severe bed sores while in her sister’s care.
The victim had formerly worked as a stroke nurse and became paralysed following a stroke in 2018. She existed in “toxic” and “appalling” circumstances after her sister assumed responsibility as sole carer following their mother’s death.
At the time of her death, no disability benefits were being received into the household and there had been no visits from a GP or social services for “many months”.
On the morning of 20 October 2022, the defendant had requested an ambulance to attend the family residence in Deptford, south London. Paramedics discovered Ms Neill on the living room floor in unhygienic conditions, amid dirt, decay and clutter. She was distressed, unable to speak and groaning.
Mr Orchard stated: “In the front room they were greeted by the smell of excrement, urine, general dirt, and decaying flesh. The room was in a dreadful state, with clutter everywhere. Kelly Neill was on the floor, wrapped in a soiled and filthy bed sheet, surrounded by urine, blood and flies. She was wet.”
Upon lifting her, paramedics discovered she had numerous serious pressure sores showing clear evidence of infection and necrosis, with flies and at least one cigarette end adhered to her leg. She was transported to St Thomas’s Hospital in London and passed away on 23 October 2022.
A post-mortem revealed the cause of death was sepsis, resulting from multiple skin ulcers and the earlier stroke. Before her passing, Ms Neill’s son had clashed with his aunt regarding her care, insisting that his mother required residential care.
However, the accused rejected this and maintained control over access to the property, the court was told. Mr Neill-Knight had last visited his mother in February 2022 and travelled to Spain that summer to see his girlfriend, returning to the UK following his grandmother’s death.
Delivering a victim impact statement in court, Mr Neill-Knight outlined the continuing and catastrophic loss of his mother in “harrowing” circumstances.
He said his mother had been “stolen” in a “disgusting manner” with her “dignity stripped and her body defiled”. He informed the court: “When she first went into hospital before she died, I could hardly recognised her, she was a shell of what used to be, so small, curled up stiff and rigid….The bed sores were horrendous.”
Mr Neill-Knight described guilt about what happened, but said: “The guilt we carry because of the choice that Michelle made is unjust. “I can’t even begin to imagine how anybody could walk past a person or ignore someone in my mum’s condition leading up to her death.
“I’d help a random stranger if they were in that way, so a family member, no sane person would do what my aunt has done to a member of their family.
“My mum wasn’t just someone Michelle cared for or a job she was getting paid for. No, my mum was her only sister, her little sister. She was supposed to look after her. Protect her. Her own flesh and blood, that she walked past for God knows how many days before calling an ambulance.
“How could you do that, see that, smell that, feel that and do nothing? That is pure evil.”
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In mitigation, Jennifer Dempster KC indicated Neill had shown “genuine remorse”.Earlier that morning, Neill had conveyed to her: “This does not end for me today. This will be something I will carry for the rest of my life. I will never forgive myself for what has happened.”
Judge Marks observed that Neill, battling anxiety and depression, proved “completely unable” to provide care for her sister and remained “incapable of seeking help”. He stated it was “impossible to accept” that she hadn’t been aware of how serious her sister’s condition was.
He informed her: “I also accept that you loved Kelly and you are genuinely and profoundly remorseful for events.”
The judge explained he would suspend her sentence owing to her “personal mitigation” and the fact she is unlikely to reoffend.
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