Baby girl who died of starvation after being left alone for nearly six days

HAYSIE

Alfie Steele: The sports-mad boy killed by brutal punishments



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-65757594

MISTY4ME

This is absolutely appalling .....

I hope HOWELL enjoys his woodwork class in Prison ...... with his NUTS clamped in a vice and slowly tightened until he bleeds to Death.

Tikay10

One of the most harrowing news stories I've ever read.

It's too easy to finger-point especially with hindsight, but from what I've read, I formed the view that his neighbours & the various Social Care agencies could & should have acted earlier, though that does not deflect from the blame ion both parents.

A ghastly story, but not the first of it's type in recent years.

The father will no doubt get a proper pasting in prison.

HAYSIE

Tikay10 said:

One of the most harrowing news stories I've ever read.

It's too easy to finger-point especially with hindsight, but from what I've read, I formed the view that his neighbours & the various Social Care agencies could & should have acted earlier, though that does not deflect from the blame ion both parents.

A ghastly story, but not the first of it's type in recent years.

The father will no doubt get a proper pasting in prison.

Hopefully on a regular basis.

You are right to say there have been a number of similar cases in recent years.
Far too many cases.
The Police have already given the usual "lessons will be learnt" response.
Although it is difficult to see that they ever are.
I felt sick when I saw the story on the news yesterday.
The bloke was such a risk to Alfie, he was forbidden by Social Services from staying at the home overnight.
This rule was constantly flouted.
What did they think this would accomplish?
How did they intend to enforce this rule?
Why didnt they take action, when the rule was being flouted?
So was it ok for him to beat Alfie during the day, and the early evening?

Not that it makes any difference Alfie was killed in the early afternoon.
He is dead.

Both the Police and Social Services were aware of what was going on.
His teachers were aware that he wasnt being fed properly.
He weighed just over 4 stone.
Alfie had 50 injuries.
I suppose the real question is what would it take for Alfie to have been taken into care.
There were numerous reports from neighbours, a number of visits by Police, and Social Services, worries from his teachers, an inspection of his body would have revealed his injuries.
If that is not good enough for someone to take action, what is?

Tikay10

It defies rational explanation & analysis.

HAYSIE

Tikay10 said:

It defies rational explanation & analysis.

It does.
The job of the Police, and Social Services, is surely to protect at risk children.
What is the point of having them, unless they take adequate measures.
In this case there was absolutely no protection for Alfie.
They let him down badly.

Essexphil

HAYSIE said:

Tikay10 said:

It defies rational explanation & analysis.

It does.
The job of the Police, and Social Services, is surely to protect at risk children.
What is the point of having them, unless they take adequate measures.
In this case there was absolutely no protection for Alfie.
They let him down badly.

I've been involved in a few of these.

The trouble is there are literally hundreds of families that fit this sort of criteria. And, thankfully, 99% of them don't end this way.

Do you want 99 kids removed from their families, and the families tarnished with terrible accusations, to save 1 child?

Here are the stats for the "at risk" register for Wales in 2019. 2,820 kids. And that is just Wales. 225 kids just in Swansea.

https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/Social-Services/Childrens-Services/Service-Provision/ChildrenOnChildProtectionRegister-by-LocalAuthority-CategoryOfAbuse-AgeGroup

There are no easy answers.

HAYSIE

Essexphil said:

HAYSIE said:

Tikay10 said:

It defies rational explanation & analysis.

It does.
The job of the Police, and Social Services, is surely to protect at risk children.
What is the point of having them, unless they take adequate measures.
In this case there was absolutely no protection for Alfie.
They let him down badly.

I've been involved in a few of these.

The trouble is there are literally hundreds of families that fit this sort of criteria. And, thankfully, 99% of them don't end this way.

Do you want 99 kids removed from their families, and the families tarnished with terrible accusations, to save 1 child?

Here are the stats for the "at risk" register for Wales in 2019. 2,820 kids. And that is just Wales. 225 kids just in Swansea.

https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/Social-Services/Childrens-Services/Service-Provision/ChildrenOnChildProtectionRegister-by-LocalAuthority-CategoryOfAbuse-AgeGroup

There are no easy answers.

My point is that even in the exceptional cases, of which this seems to be one.
The Police and Social Services just seem so ineffectual.
It was so obvious in this case from neighbours/witnesses that he was suffering abuse.
The only sanction seems to be that the bloke was banned from staying overnight.
What good could this do?
How were Social Services planning to enforce this?
What were the penalties if this rule was flouted?
As it was, and there appear to have been no consequences.

HAYSIE

He got life, minimum 32 years.
Good enough for him.

HAYSIE

Mother and partner sentenced over ‘sadistic’ killing and torture of Alfie Steele


https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/mother-and-partner-sentenced-over-sadistic-killing-and-torture-of-alfie-steele/ar-AA1cArMq

HAYSIE

Little Alfie Steele begged for his granddad to help before he was murdered by his mother's boyfriend: Nine-year-old's grandfather says he is 'haunted by phantom calls for help' as evil killers are jailed



Little Alfie was beaten, 'held' in cold bath water, locked out of the house or in a shed and whipped with belts by his mother, Carla Scott and her career criminal boyfriend, Dirk Howell.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12199113/Heartbreak-Alfie-Steeles-grandfather-hears-boys-words-shouting-me.html

HAYSIE

Baby girl who died of starvation after being left alone for nearly six days by her mother to go out partying was already on social workers' radar, inquest hears



20-month-old Asiah Kudi died in her cot after her mother Verphy Kudi, 18, left her home alone in a Brighton flat for six days while she went out partying.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12198839/Baby-Asiah-starved-mother-partied-six-days-social-workers-radar.html

HAYSIE

HAYSIE said:

Baby girl who died of starvation after being left alone for nearly six days by her mother to go out partying was already on social workers' radar, inquest hears



20-month-old Asiah Kudi died in her cot after her mother Verphy Kudi, 18, left her home alone in a Brighton flat for six days while she went out partying.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12198839/Baby-Asiah-starved-mother-partied-six-days-social-workers-radar.html

They need to radically improve their radar.