The poor 17 month old -died of broken back

[skydancer1]

I just find these kind of stories of extreme abuse so very upsetting and wish we had better safeguards in place to stop such hideous harm happening or at least continuing (when it's pretty obvious!) to helpless children. Why on earth did the doctor not examine a child because he was already on an at risk register and was 'cranky and miserable' at an appointment and hence he/she failed to notice broken back and ribs? It beggars belief. I'm not a punitive 'hang them flog them' type (in fact I'm strongly against corporal punishment) but in this instance I think the mother should be forcibly sterilised to prevent her ever hurting or 'allowing' such hurt to any other child.

This is so desperately sad, poor poor little boy

I truly don't understand how this has been allowed to happen, how can this defenseless little infant be allowed to slip through so many nets

Indeed lessons are not being learned.

These cruel and evil killers should rot in jail in a single empty cell for the rest of their sorry existance ...

ladymariner - totally agree!

I agree entirely with pelvicfloor and edam.

I don't believe in the death penalty either but I sincerely hope - and am convinced - these two wicked men will get their just desserts in prison. What they did was the most atrocious kind of evil and cruel bullying - unforgivable and indefensible.

However, I am intrigued by the offence of which they have been found guilty - 'causing or allowing the death of a child' - what does that actually mean ( given they have been cleared of murder) and what would be the maximum penalty for this offence?

And actually I don't think it would be a bad thing if the mother was forcibly sterilised. What sort of mother was she to the child? some people forfeit their rights, IMO.

I made the mistake of reading the updated news on Google as it was being filtered through and the catalogue of abuse is unthinkable - it even extended to the family dog attacking him as well! The mother was fending off the SS & doctors and even used her GP to try to get the SS off her back.

I just can't stop thinking about his sad and lonely life and if only someone was able to make the right decision and get him out of that hellhole, we wouldn't be sat here typing about him.

I'm sure I read earlier on in the investigation that the victim weighed something like 13 lbs when he died - the same as he'd weighed at 6 months. He was grossly underweight and, I would guess. majorly malnourished. Again, how was this not noticed by the children's services / police / other people visiting?

I just can't get over the fact that this child was on the child protection register, numerous regular visits took place, meetings were held and reports compiled regarding his welfare. How was it missed? He's been so let down.

Yes, he was even attacked by a dog. Jesus Christ

Donnie, I think that they were charged with 'causing or allowing the death of a child' because it could not be determined who had caused the injury which caused his death/there were numerous injuries that contributed to his death inflicted by both defendants. If they were charged with murder, they could have possibly been found not guilty and got off on technicalities if there was any doubt about which injury caused the babys death.

I think.

It makes me sick to my stomach that Baby Ps own mother did nothing, SS did nothing, the Dr did nothing. People (the mothers friend and other people who initiated SS involvement) did do something, but the very people who should have pulled out all the stops allowed the abuse to continue.

Anyone know why there was a court order to prevent identification of two of the defendants? It's usually done to protect under 18s - were there other children? I know one of the witnesses was only 15 but her boyfriend was identified

According to the Daily Mail:

"Sharon Shoesmith, chairwoman of Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board, said [...] there would be no resignations or sackings over the affair and made a robust defence of the actions of social services."

HOW can this be possible?

Something has to be done - it is unbelieveable that nothing was done to help this poor child - no one did their job properly or questioned anything. Those with responsibility should face a prison term - bet people were busy covering themselves - disgusting. Just read the ss comment of "good practice" - appalling that anyone could even think this.

Newsnight are reporting on this now, but I'm angry already

'A slob of a mother and a sadistic nazi obsessed dad'. I thought the bbc didn't go in for such sensationalism.

Why can't they all go to prison for life - and this mean life.

Does anyone know why the mother and step father can't be identified?

I think saggy's right, the offence of causing or allowing the death of child was brought in to deal with cases where there are several suspects (say both parents) who each claim the other one must have done it. Before this offence, both could get off if there wasn't even evidence to show which one struck the final blow.

God, those people who reported the family to SS must be feeling really sick. They knew the poor mite, they tried desperately to find some protection for him. And everyone who cared about him was so desperately let down.

"Lessons will be learnt" has been said again and again and again, ever since Maria Caldwell in (IIRC) the 60s. And yet the government and SS have been too busy playing with their snazzy new multimillion pound database - which I think is a real threat to civil liberties - to actually see real, obvious abuse when it's staring them in the face. Sickening.

anonymity will be to protect other children in the family.

They probably can't be identified as there are possibly other children involved; identify the adults and the childrens' right to privacy is violated as they then can be identified.

No one is going to lose their job over this and a baby they were seeing on a regualar basis has been tortured and lost his life. Staggering

The family should be shamed by everyone knowing what happened. The other children should be put with other families.

It is massively difficult and complex though.

My DS bruises really easily, as do I. So when my fils wife maliciously reported us to social services it could have spiralled out of control and caused massive damage to us. Thankfully we have a wonderful GP and helth visitor who kept things level.

Utterly unbearable. Surely SS can do better than this? How can torture and abuse of that magnitude be disguised ffs?

Surely Haringey can't get away with hanging another junior caseworker out to dry again.

Same LA as Victoria Climbie, yes?

Perhaps, AIWAW. But I'm guessing you didn't slice the tops of your child's fingers off? Or allow your dog to gouge flesh from his head? Or rip his earlobe from the side of his head? Or knock him in the mouth so hard he swallowed his tooth? Or rip his frenulum? Or break his ribs? Or rip out his nails?

The catalogue of injuries this tiny, defenceless little boy suffered is staggering.

Not 'massively difficult and complex'.

This child was tortured. This wasn't a blind moment of rage or incompetence which led to his death. He was tortured.

Earlier I was one of those 'hang 'em up brigade'. I suggested that, given that the perpetrators behaved like animals, they had forfeited their right to humane treatment themselves. My rational mind knows that capital punishment is wrong. But it feels so unjust that a child can suffer so horrifically, and those that inflicted that suffering get off so lightly.