‘Punchbag’ baby died after 60 social service visits

A 17-MONTH-OLD boy, who was seen by social services 60 times in eight months, died after repeatedly being used “as a punchbag” and having his back broken.

Yesterday, a 32-year-old man was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of the baby boy who died after being subjected to a series of horrifying assaults.

Jurors at the Old Bailey in London reached their verdict after a two-month trial at which they saw evidence of the 17-month-old being “used as a punchbag” before he died in August last year.

The unemployed handyman, who was going out with the toddler’s mother when the abuses occurred, was cleared of murder, but convicted of causing or allowing the child’s death.

The toddler, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found in a blood-spattered cot with eight fractured ribs and a broken back — a fact which had been missed by a doctor who examined him just 48 hours earlier. He also had a large number of bruises, cuts on his head and ears and the tops of his fingers were missing, along with a toenail.

Last month, the toddler’s 27-year-old mother was also found guilty of causing or allowing his death. Yesterday, house guest Jason Owen, 36, was also convicted of the same charge.

All three adults were cleared of murder because the jury could not agree on which of them had caused the injuries. They will be sentenced on December 15.

One of the detectives involved in the case said the little boy had more than 50 injuries — 15 of them around his mouth. Describing the 32-year-old boyfriend, the detective said he was “sadistic” and “fascinated with pain”, and that Nazi memorabilia had been found in the house.

As for the toddler’s mother, he described her as “a slob, completely divorced from reality. She was living in a dream world and put her lover before her child. She closed her eyes to what was going on”.

The horrific catalogue of abuses took place over an eight-month period despite the fact the toddler was on the child protection register of Haringey social services in north London.

Although he was seen by social workers on average twice a week, none of the health and social workers picked up on what was happening, the court heard.

Speaking at the conclusion of the trial, Detective Superintendent Caroline Bates of the child abuse investigation command, said: “There is no doubt that this child’s death was a tragedy and that he suffered terribly at the hands of his carers during the last months of his short life.

“The child’s mother consistently lied in an attempt to conceal the ill treatment of him... She repeatedly chose to mislead professionals in order to enable the continued abuse of her son,” she said.

“Along with the mother, the men involved have failed to accept responsibility for their actions and the cruelty they inflicted on this little child, but today they, along with the boy’s mother, are being held to account for their actions and for the unnecessary pain, and suffering they caused which led to his death.”

The case bears a chilling similarity to the tragic death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie who died in February 2000 after dozens of social workers and health professionals failed to spot that she was being systematically abused by her guardians. “This case is worse than Climbie. The signs were there, but were not followed,” said Mor Dioum, head of the Victoria Climbie Foundation.

He blamed the toddler’s death on “systematic and operational failures” and has called for a public inquiry into the failings.

Following the Climbie case, an independent inquiry by a peer, Lord Laming, called for a series of reforms to ensure child protection.

Yesterday, the Government announced that it had asked him to prepare a new report on the progress being made in implementing the reforms announced in the wake of his inquiry.

The peer described the latest case as “dispiriting”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One: “It would be awful wherever it happened, but it seems particularly sad that it has happened in the same area where Victoria experienced this awful cruelty and a terrible death, and involved the very same services.”

Just three people have received formal written warnings over the death, the chairwoman of Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board said last night.

Sharon Shoesmith said two social workers and a lawyer had received the warnings. But she said there would be no resignations or sackings over the affair.