Jordan Burling’s dad releases heartbreaking picture of emaciated son left to rot

THE dad of an emaciated teen who was left to "rot to death" by his mum and gran has today released a heartbreaking photo of his son.

Jordan Burling, 18, was likened to a WWII concentration camp victim after he was found weighing less than six stone and wearing a soiled nappy in his family's squalid home in June 2016.

Today, the teen's mum Dawn Cranston, 45, and gran Denise Cranston, 70, were jailed at Leeds Crown Court for four and three years respectively for manslaughter.

In one of the last photographs taken of the teen, Jordan can be seen holding up his shirt - with his ribs clearly seen in his starved state.

Another photograph reveals the squalid conditions the young man was forced to live in before his death, with the living room piled high with rubbish.

But despite the young man desperately malnourished, the court was told the home had three refrigerators or freezers, all stocked with food.

Speaking today as the Cranston women were jailed, Jordan's family revealed the "years of hell" and sense of betrayal they felt after Jordan's death.

In a statement, his family, including dad Steven, said: "We have also been denied the quality time we should have had with Jordan if those responsible for his death had got the medical care he needed.

"We feel betrayed by the people we trusted to care for Jordan."

The family also revealed their shock at discovering Dawn Cranston had given birth to another baby boy who died - hiding his body in a rucksack at their Leeds home.

Police had found the baby's remains after searching the house, with mum Dawn Cranston admitting before the trial to concealing a birth by hiding her newborn's remains in a bedroom cupboard.

Today, dad Steven said he felt betrayed, having never known about the baby.

The statement read: "As a family, we feel we have been denied any knowledge of that baby boy’s existence."

The family said they now wanted to be able to "grieve in peace".

In a final tribute to Jordan, his family said: "Steven and the family will always remember Jordan having a bubbly and chatty personality."

Jordan's dad Steven had previously shared a statement in court, read out by his sister Susan Burling.

In the devastating tribute, Steven told the court: "I just can't understand why all these horrific things have happened to me and my family.

"I have lost all my children and I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with all this trauma.

"I don’t know how I’m going to grieve for them or rebuild my life."

At the time of his death, Jordan was likened to a World War Two concentration camp victim.

The starving teen weighed less than six stone and was so emaciated his bones were exposed, a court heard.

Jordan, of Leeds, died the same day he was found of acute bronchopneumonia - inflammation of the lungs - malnutrition, immobility and infection-riddled sores.

Dawn and Denise Cranston, who were responsible for the care of Jordan, had showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out this week.

Jordan's sister Abigail Burling, 25, was cleared of manslaughter but guilty of causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable person.

She was jailed for 18 months.

During the four week trial, prosecutor Nicholas Lumley QC had told the jury: "The fault lies with each of the accused.

"What met the eyes of the paramedics was a shocking and disturbing scene.

"Jordan was lying, utterly helpless, on an inflatable mattress in a cluttered living room.

"He was little more than skin and bones, he weighed 37kg, less than six stones.

"He wore a soiled nappy under some pyjamas.

"The expert dietitian said they had never seen such malnutrition in 26 years and likened the condition of the body to that found in WWII extermination camps.

"His heart stopped, his life could not be saved.

"He he expired in that living room."

Dawn Cranston already admitted to concealing the birth of a child by secretly disposing of a body.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Bryar, of West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team today said the teen's death was "completely unnecessary".

She said: "We are in no doubt that Jordan would still be alive today if those convicted of allowing him to literally waste away and die in front of them had sought the medical attention he so obviously needed.

"Why they chose to ignore the terrible state he was in has not been explained in any reasonable way and remains something only they know.

"It is almost beyond belief that his mother, grandmother and sister, who should have had his best interests at heart, would allow him to slowly decline towards a death that could so easily have been avoided."