ICTChris Posted December 15, 2021 Author Share Posted December 15, 2021 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-59660203 Quote Ms Jones, who was present on the day social workers attended the couple's former address in Baildon, West Yorkshire, said the council "rang an hour beforehand just to tell them they were coming". She said Smith spent the hour "cleaning Star, covering up bruises and things like that". "Frankie made me hold Star so that the social worker couldn't really see much of what she was like," she said. If true, that's very damning. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 12 hours ago, ICTChris said: One of the social services cases’ raised about the mother and partner was dismissed by social services as malicious. It hasn’t been stated exactly why but it seems likely it was concluded the complaints were motivated by prejudice against travellers and lesbians. The child was killed a week later. The heads of social services at Bradford Council has already resigned, the department had previously been severely criticised by inspectors in 2018. One of the reasons the department was heavily criticised was that they were haemorrhaging staff when the case numbers were soaring. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted December 15, 2021 Author Share Posted December 15, 2021 3 minutes ago, NotThePars said: One of the reasons the department was heavily criticised was that they were haemorrhaging staff when the case numbers were soaring. I know some social workers and they tell me that children and families is the department that most people don't want to work in, hence they get filled with agency staff who are less experienced and likely to leave. I assume this is the same across different departments. If anyone fancies an utterly grim read, the profiles of Smith and Brockhill on the local Bradford paper website. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 Savannah Brockhill was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years. Her bright as a blackout girlfriend, the mother of Star, Frankie Smith was sentenced to 8 years. Hopefully for Brockhill there is an option available to mark her "Never to be released". 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTJohnboy Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 Fucking cruel, heartless bitches. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/star-hobson-jail/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnash Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 This might be unpopular, but I think the 8 years handed down to the mother is harsh. Reading up on the case, it sounds like she was herself a vulnerable young woman (still a girl when Star was born) and was also a victim of Brockhill's controlling and physical abuse. According to the case, she wasn't aware of (and didn't suspect) the seriousness of the physical abuse of her daughter until near the end. At that point she tried to keep Brockhill away, but she was clearly under her complete control and that slipped for the last, terrible, time. She was certainly a dreadful mother, but that in itself is not a serious crime warranting 8 years in jail. As for Brockhill, it's hard to imagine a crueler a more heinous criminal. The 25 year minimum is, if anything, lenient. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTJohnboy Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 3 minutes ago, Gnash said: This might be unpopular, but I think the 8 years handed down to the mother is harsh. Reading up on the case, it sounds like she was herself a vulnerable young woman (still a girl when Star was born) and was also a victim of Brockhill's controlling and physical abuse. According to the case, she wasn't aware of (and didn't suspect) the seriousness of the physical abuse of her daughter until near the end. At that point she tried to keep Brockhill away, but she was clearly under her complete control and that slipped for the last, terrible, time. She was certainly a dreadful mother, but that in itself is not a serious crime warranting 8 years in jail. As for Brockhill, it's hard to imagine a crueler a more heinous criminal. The 25 year minimum is, if anything, lenient. I take your points, but you would have thought she could have provided some protection for her daughter. I thought she got off lightly with 8 years, but this is a debate that could go on.....and on. Just a desperately sad and tragic case. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 I know some social workers and they tell me that children and families is the department that most people don't want to work in, hence they get filled with agency staff who are less experienced and likely to leave. I assume this is the same across different departments. If anyone fancies an utterly grim read, the profiles of Smith and Brockhill on the local Bradford paper website. Not in social work but the department we have that is most closely related to dealing directly with this sort of thing is also staffed with agency workers because again, aye, nobody wants to work there given the high stress and serious consequences if you mess up. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullerene Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 18 hours ago, Gnash said: This might be unpopular, but I think the 8 years handed down to the mother is harsh. Reading up on the case, it sounds like she was herself a vulnerable young woman (still a girl when Star was born) and was also a victim of Brockhill's controlling and physical abuse. According to the case, she wasn't aware of (and didn't suspect) the seriousness of the physical abuse of her daughter until near the end. At that point she tried to keep Brockhill away, but she was clearly under her complete control and that slipped for the last, terrible, time. She was certainly a dreadful mother, but that in itself is not a serious crime warranting 8 years in jail. As for Brockhill, it's hard to imagine a crueler a more heinous criminal. The 25 year minimum is, if anything, lenient. No. She was the one who put Star in harm's way, took her away from people who loved her, neglected her at every opportunity and stopped Star getting the protection she needed. After she gets out, her family will have disowned her. As well as Star, her own father killed himself , so that "he could go and look after Star". For some reason I suspect Brockhill will enjoy prison and will see it as the best to place to be. I hope she stays there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted December 16, 2021 Author Share Posted December 16, 2021 The maximum sentence for Smith's crime is 14 years imprisonment. The judge made the follow remarks regarding the mitigating factors for her offence Quote There are, as I have said your immaturity is a relevant mitigating factor. This was one of the reasons why I am sure that, so persistently, you placed your own interests above those of your daughter, Star. I also accept that on some occasions, Savannah was physically violent towards you. I do not accept that those acts of violence were frequent. I have heard evidence of three such occasions: in your mother’s home; at the Sun Pub and on another occasion at your flat. I accept however that it would have made it more difficult for you to have approached the emergency services or family and friends and report what you knew Savannah Brockhill was doing to Star. I take into account that you have no previous convictions. Most important however, I take into account that you have lost your daughter, Star. You played a role in her death by allowing that death. This is something which you will have to live with for the rest of your life. I do not underestimate the weight of that burden which you must carry. She has to serve two thirds of her eight year sentence. Given they've been on remand for more than a year she could be out in four years time. Sentencing remarks here https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/R-v-Brockhill-Smith-sentencing-151221.pdf 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnash Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 59 minutes ago, ICTChris said: The maximum sentence for Smith's crime is 14 years imprisonment. The judge made the follow remarks regarding the mitigating factors for her offence She has to serve two thirds of her eight year sentence. Given they've been on remand for more than a year she could be out in four years time. Sentencing remarks here https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/R-v-Brockhill-Smith-sentencing-151221.pdf Interesting stuff. I think broadly we have to trust judges to come up with a reasonable sentence, given the guidelines they have and full knowledge of the facts of the case, which we armchair commentators don't have. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullerene Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 These two stories seem almost identical. A dreadful parent falls in love with a dangerous stranger. Not surprisingly it is the stranger who does the deed and deservedly get the maximum sentence. However I still feel a lot of hostility to the flawed parent who made it all happen. I am not sure how much I want to criticise social services - sometimes a lot, sometimes not. The assumption is that nobody loves a child more than their own parents. Sadly for both Arthur and Star, the entire planet loved them more. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19QOS19 Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Sighhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59695030Slightly different to the other stories in that it doesn't appear she has abused them but wtf is going on? There doesn't appear to be much news about this other than the boys were in the house alone and she's being done for neglect. It's either a case of her leaving the house and being extremely 'unlucky' that her house happened to catch fire as she was away or something a lot more sinister. My instinct goes towards the latter. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 20 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said: Sigh https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59695030 Slightly different to the other stories in that it doesn't appear she has abused them but wtf is going on? There doesn't appear to be much news about this other than the boys were in the house alone and she's being done for neglect. It's either a case of her leaving the house and being extremely 'unlucky' that her house happened to catch fire as she was away or something a lot more sinister. My instinct goes towards the latter. That's horrendous. But who goes out and leaves 4 toddlers on their own? (Apart from the McCanns?) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Tunbridge Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 https://www.itv.com/news/2021-12-31/sentences-for-arthur-labinjo-hughes-killers-appealed-for-being-too-lenient interesting. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted June 30, 2022 Author Share Posted June 30, 2022 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61952430 Horrific story from Wales about the murder of a young boy by his mother, stepfather and a teenager. The utter self centredness of the stepdad, who decided he didn't like his stepson and became obsessed that his partner had been cheating on him with the boys father leading him to beat a five year old to death. The mother who allowed it to happen and then pretended to the police she was upset https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-61180747 - The father and teenager dumped the body in a stream in the middle of the night then went out in the morning pretending to look for him. The mother knew this and pretended to the police to be distraught. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inanimate Carbon Rod Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 On 17/12/2021 at 13:48, Jacksgranda said: That's horrendous. But who goes out and leaves 4 toddlers on their own? (Apart from the McCanns?) You’ve no idea how common it is. Unfortunately prosecutors seem incredibly unwilling to prosecute parents for neglect. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 I'm probably a massively triggered snowflake, but this thread really ought to come with a warning label. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted June 30, 2022 Author Share Posted June 30, 2022 Documentary on ITV1 about this case now. Just utterly horrific. Two horrible, horrible adults and one chilling teenager. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweeperDee Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 That’s just fucking awful. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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