Heartbreaking. Child abused and then murdered.

[Dilbertian]

Poor Sebastian. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-62163849

Where was his school in all of this? How could ongoing months of abuse not have been noticed and flagged him as a child at risk? Or did the school do this, and Sebastian was failed by agencies further along the line?

Good god, I'd not seen any pictures of the partner. He's enormous. Poor boy didn't stand a chance against a man built like that.

Another child whose life was cut short by a mother's new partner and his mother.

Just... what is wrong with people?

And what is wrong with our system that a child being mistreated like this can fall through the safety net. I despair.

Beyond sickening

Poor boy, what a pair if evil bastards

Oh this made me cry. That poor boy enduring such pain and evil. He must have been too terrified to report. I wonder if the man made threats against him and his mother if he dared to report anything (hence the CCTV installed by the man).

Horrendous. I hope lessons are learnt for the agencies involved or who should have been involved to prevent similar tragic outcomes in the future.

Absolutely sickening reading about this poor boy. I can 'see' (although clearly not 'understand') how this can happen with a younger child, but it's beyond me how this level of abuse can happen over a lengthy period with a boy of that age. Was he so beaten down that he hid it (although sounds as if it would take some hiding), or was he ignored?

Heartbreaking.

Oh that poor poor child, I can't even put into words how horrific this is. I hope that man never leaves prison. It's incomprehensible how anyone could hurt another person, let alone a child, like that. Or how their parent could sit there and allow it to happen.

Terrifying poor boy.

Honestly I find this even worse than had it been a younger child. This was no loss of control, or one blow too far. You have to really put some effort into killing a teenager. This done over months by a pair of absolute pieces of work. No excuses. So sad the lad found his way into the hands of these scum.

Poor boy. Yet another woman putting her fanny before her child and hooking up with an evil monster. Yet another child brutalised and murdered in lockdown.

What a truly harrowing read. So horrifically sad and the poor teenager never stood a chance against a man that size.

The detail of the fact there was video footage where he was hit over 100 times, the abuser stopping only to wipe his brow, whilst mother sits watching TV and eating toast. Absolutely disgusting and I literally cannot fathom it having my own little son.

OP..The school, agencies and other such groups of people are not to blame. The people who are responsible are the barbaric adults that carried out the abuse.

There can be many reasons why he slipped through the net...quiet boy, no obvious markings on visible areas of skin, scared to speak up for fear of further abuse, language barrier/cultural differences masking his quiet demeanour..

We just don't know all the terrible circumstances...school and authorities could've been aware and done nothing in which case that needs investigated...but we cannot immediately jump to criticise the school or authorities.

Gosh that's sickening. That poor poor boy. I hope the pair of them get locked up for a very long time.

There is detailed reported of the school’s evidence to court. Staff reported being concerned but not enough to report (no bruises visible). They asked him if he felt safe and he said he did. I’m sure there will be a serious case review which says school should have done more, as there often is.

Detailed reporting*

This is heartbreaking
But I don't think his school can be blamed!!

I can 'see' (although clearly not 'understand') how this can happen with a younger child, but it's beyond me how this level of abuse can happen over a lengthy period with a boy of that age. Was he so beaten down that he hid it (although sounds as if it would take some hiding), or was he ignored?

He had not long come from Poland to live with his mother, so was perhaps shy not having established friends/ trusted teachers particularly as part of the time was online learning and I presume English not his first (or even fluent) language. All those things would have been barriers as well as the fact that it said there was verbal abuse too. And the obvious fear of what would happen if he did say anything.

It's absolutely heartbreaking.

I've just heard this on the radio and am driving my car crying. That poor boy, the same age as my DD. There are no words. He must have suffered so much.

Heartbreaking.

Does anyone agree with me that there seems to be a linked between step-parents and child abuse that needs researching and examing more thoroughly?

This is very sad. I was wondering if the school had noticed anything wrong as well. The poor boy was obviously too scared to say what was happening at home. It is horrific what happened.

May Sebastian rest in peace.

Why do these savages film themselves doing these awful things to children?

I think it's already well researched that unrelated male adults pose a risk to children, but I think that there could be room for schools, social workers, the police having this more actively flagged up. To see it as an important factor that tips the balance over into reporting rather than accepting.

It's not just unrelated male adults though - it's females too. I definately feel that more research needed into this area - for example, we know they do it, but we don't know WHY they do it?

Monsters. Absolute fucking monsters. What makes people like this? I can read/ listen to many reasons from many experts and I STILL don't understand.

The percentage of unrelated women abusing and murdering their step children is minuscule in comparison to men.

It's clear why these men do it. It's described in this case - the child is an obstacle in the relationship between the man and the child's mother, who accepts that the child comes second to the relationship. Because of being abused themselves or having the kind of personality where they value a relationship above all else. Or other personality disorders.

@DenholmElliot1

Agree although (without wanting to sound snobby) it seems to play out in extreme ways in lower socioeconomic areas and situations. I still think you’d find it at lower levels in richer homes though.
This is a little controversial but I guess it’s not really a “natural” situation. I think people should think twice about leaving stable “bland” marriages and also if they have to leave, really vet any new man rather than just treating it like getting a new boyfriend as so many women do.

One teacher said "If there had been bruises, I could have reported it or if [Sebastian] had said something, I could have reported," Ros Djordjevic, English language teacher at North Huddersfield Trust School, told Leeds Crown Court on Friday. "Without anything like that it was just my impressions and feelings."

What happens when there are no physical signs and there is no disclosure made, who takes it seriously? I know that in the past, I have repeatedly documented things about children that were just gut feelings and impressions, but it always felt pointless as they just ended up as a pile of paperwork somewhere. Eventually one of the children concerned disclosed something and, thankfully, action was taken that day but, up until that point every day we had a gut feeling we were sending those concerned home to a horrible situation. How many times is there a post on hearing where someone is concerned about the shouting and crying coming from next-door, and in among the "report it" replies are the equally vocal "Mind your own business" replies?