RIP Baby Star Hobson

Frankie Smith should never be freed from prison. The judge who handed her 8 years should be moved from his position. What's all this serving two-thirds rubbish? Let her serve every second of her, now, 12 year sentence. She should be serving life having taken away her child's chance of one.

The mother of Star, Frankie Smith, has had her sentence increased from 8 years imprisonment to 12 years.

She could still be free in 8 years as she has to serve at least two-thirds of the sentence.
So she could be out again by the age of 28 and start another family.

It’s unbelievably sad. One child every week. In most cases killed by the parent’s partner.

The Cinderella effect

The NSPCC published statistics in December 2021 that showed an average of 58 deaths by assault or ‘undetermined intent’ a year in the uk. I suspect undetermined intent means neglect. So an average of one child a week]
Children under one the most likely age group to be killed by another person (followed by 16-24 year olds)

Child murders are most commonly caused by the child’s parent or step parent

My memory of academic research is these figures have been consistent for many years. Also that boy children are more vulnerable and step parents pose a higher risk than birth parents. Usually the step parent is male but the two recent awful murders were committed by women

Not just murdering defenceless children but in cases like little Arthur and others, torturing them for weeks/months.

It's very skewed.
The woman a while back who got 28 years for killing her partner. (Penelope?)
People were all in favour of that sentence.

The man who murdered his mother's partner and attacked his mother, leaving her for dead but paralysed, has got 36 years.
That is more of a proper sentence.

Someone who murders a defenceless child or baby gets far less.

Where is the justice?

How on earth can SS monitor and support everyone with a low IQ? Prisons are full of men (mostly) with low IQ’s and MH problems.

Frankie Smith could be released in a little over 3 years as she’s been on remand for almost a year. I believe she’s 20 yrs of age. Who’s to stop her getting pregnant again and splitting up with the father then meeting another unsuitable step parent to the child? This woman had a supportive family and if SS are overloaded with cases now, they certainly won’t be able to cope with monitoring every low IQ mother that may or may not be making poor decisions when choosing a partner and/or caring for their child. If she’s not capable of doing that, sterilisation should be considered. It’s not as if there aren’t precedents, there are.

Lincslass

trisher

This is completely political and yes of course there were cruelty cases under a Labour government, But let's not forget that the Labour government always has to clear up the mess left by the Tories. Any real develpments in care and social services are then destroyed once again by small state Tories. Like the Sure Start initiative which dealt not only with children but with inadequate parents and the extended family. If you cut that, pare social services to the bone and cut all the public services involved in protecting children like education, the police, the NHS you leave vulnerable children exposed. There may always have been instances of cruelty, but so many in such a short period? I think not. Yes the abusers are monsters but it is society which is responsible for failing to protect these children and it is the years of Tory government that are responsible for that failure.

Disgusting. The only people that are responsible are the two inhumane and evil women. Worked many times with staff shortages, yes even way before the EU , the present government. Did it stop us doing our complete best for those in our care no it damn well didn’t. The society around these poor babies were alerted, the fact it didn’t make one iota of difference to those working with these families, if they were, out and out failure on the part of those involved. People like you will always look to blame anyone but the ones really responsible. The people employed to do their jobs, and failing miserably.

So were you working when "the complete best" included the care of Victoria Climbie? Her death, the investigation that followed and the things put in place to safeguard children all promised better care for children. The Tories dismantled it all.
Deaths are listed here theathenaprogramme.co.uk/2020/02/18/twenty-years-since-victoria-climbie-death-whats-changed/

Sorry, are you saying that it was the two 'inhumane and evil women' who are responsible, or 'the people employed to do their jobs and failing miserably'? You can't have it both ways, even in an attempt to let the people cutting funding to social services off the hook.

Yes, the women are absolutely responsible, but it is arguable that Smith should have had support from SS because of her IQ. I'm not sure how they would know about her before the problems started, though - I assume that they'd only find out after something had happened that made someone report. In any event, support would be far less likely to have reached her than it would have if there had been proper funding.

Yes, Star was failed by SS, but at the same time, SS was failed by the government. There are only 24 hours in a day, and only so many hours in a working day. If there are not enough social workers they simply can't get around all the families on their books - it's not complicated. If there is not enough money to pay for more social workers, this sort of thing will happen again, and the more the social workers are blamed, the more will leave the profession and there will be fewer new entrants.

trisher

This is completely political and yes of course there were cruelty cases under a Labour government, But let's not forget that the Labour government always has to clear up the mess left by the Tories. Any real develpments in care and social services are then destroyed once again by small state Tories. Like the Sure Start initiative which dealt not only with children but with inadequate parents and the extended family. If you cut that, pare social services to the bone and cut all the public services involved in protecting children like education, the police, the NHS you leave vulnerable children exposed. There may always have been instances of cruelty, but so many in such a short period? I think not. Yes the abusers are monsters but it is society which is responsible for failing to protect these children and it is the years of Tory government that are responsible for that failure.

Disgusting. The only people that are responsible are the two inhumane and evil women. Worked many times with staff shortages, yes even way before the EU , the present government. Did it stop us doing our complete best for those in our care no it damn well didn’t. The society around these poor babies were alerted, the fact it didn’t make one iota of difference to those working with these families, if they were, out and out failure on the part of those involved. People like you will always look to blame anyone but the ones really responsible. The people employed to do their jobs, and failing miserably.

Eleven years is extremely low for such a horrible crime. I think that life can be given for manslaughter and I’m wondering why it wasn’t given in this case.

'I'm all for getting rid of them as they're no good to society! Never will be!" That is a slippery slope.

It's disgraceful and upsetting. It's just one case after another.

I just saw that Kate1949. How utterly disgusting that he only got 11 years. I'd have to do the same to him, the monster !
Poor child, bless her. RIP --Jessica. x

Until sentencing to fit these heinous crimes is given, it'll continue. I'm all for getting rid of them as they're no good to society ! Never will be !

It is unbearable - 11 years for a murderer?
Manslaughter? This is another sentence which needs reviewing.

Another awful case this morning. A man convicted of manslaughter and child cruelty for killing his partner's disabled three year old daughter because she wouldn't eat her lunch. 11 years. RIP Jessica.

I was a GP in the area in West Yorkshire where this incident took place. I know the pressurea on the services. My DH, when he was a vicar, reported a child to SS who there was a lot of concern about within the area we lived in. He assumed it would be an anonymous report. A SW went round to the home and said Rev MMB has expressed concern about x. A bit later my DH had a very angry boyfriend at the door behaving in a threatening manner. Doesn't encourage anyone to protect children at risk. My DH contacted SS to complain but was told we are open and honest about who reports people. Several years later child concerned was in care of extended family and tragically mum died a drug related death.

Thanks Mmob, I expect you know that like social workers and midwives, health visitors have huge case loads. We need to invest and redevelop the good multi agency work that was the aim pre-austerity.
The timelines reported in the press don’t include any referrals by neighbours so far as I’m aware. I agree with you, it’s up to everyone to be alert to child abuse

Sorry I got the name of Star's mum wrong. I do feel society let this family down. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. This poor little girl seems to have been missed despite a number of opportunities. It should have been known that this baby was with a mum with a low IQ and there should have been more surveillance by health visitors. Did neighbours report any concerns? It is up to everyone to watch out for child abuse

The main thing is that everyone agrees, this should never have happened.

Yes indeed.

Unfortunately, it is often the case that single mothers, often very vulnerable, are targeted by those who have ulterior motives.

Iam64. I’m sorry if that post came across in a confrontational manner; it wasn’t intended.

I asked the question why momb’s felt society had let them down as I’m genuinely interested in why she feels that’s the case.

Yea, I think the main thing is to remember that all of us are stunned and angry that this happened, without knowing all of the facts (will anyone, ever, other than those resonsible?)

We all being our own thoughts to the situation, and they are all slightly different.
The main thing is that everyone agrees, this should never have happened.