Star Hobson died in September 2020 from “utterly catastrophic” injuries she received at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, with five referrals made to social services in the eight months prior by concerned family and friends.
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Star Hobson died in September last year from “utterly catastrophic” injuries, which she received at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
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Prosecutors said she was “repeatedly physically assaulted over the weeks and months before her death”.
Star’s mother Frankie Smith, 20, denied murder, alongside her partner, Savannah Brockhill, 28.
Brockhill has been found guilty of Star’s murder. Smith has been found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.
The pair had been in what was described as a “toxic” relationship in the 11 months leading to Star’s death.
While Smith admitted in court that she had been cruel to her daughter, her lawyers painted a picture of someone with very low intelligence in a controlling relationship – and that it was Brockhill who had delivered the fatal blows.
Tests done on Smith found she had an IQ of 70 – in the bottom two percent of the population – and is “abnormally compliant” and “prone to going along with an authority figure telling her what to do”.
Repeatedly beaten in the months before her death
A post-mortem found lacerations on Star’s internal organs and bruising over her lungs and abdomen.
It revealed an abnormality in her shin bone that indicated she had fractured her leg two to four weeks prior, but that bone had been re-fractured in the week leading up to her death.
It also found a skull fracture that was five to 10 days old.
On 13 September, CCTV footage appeared to show Brockhill striking Star 21 times while she was with her at work.
Smith and Brockhill were the only adults in the flat when the toddler was either “punched, kicked or stamped on”, according to a pathologist.
Five referrals to social services in eight months
The court heard that numerous friends and family members called social services to express concerns about Star, with the first referral made in January 2020.
Police and social services visited, but no concerns were raised, and the case was dropped.
Anita, Star’s great-grandmother, made a second referral in May – but the case was closed after the women said the complaint was “malicious”.
The following month, Star’s father raised concerns over bruising on her face. Smith blamed this on an accident involving a coffee table.
On 23 June and 2 September, a fourth and fifth referral were made.
Videos taken on Brockhill’s phone around this time show a number of clips where Star appears exhausted and treated without love – including one where she falls off her chair and a laugh is heard.
When questioned about this in court, Smith said: “At the time, I thought it was funny. I’d seen videos on Facebook, I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.”
Some of the reports to social services were made after images of Star were posted on Facebook.
Delay calling for help
Star died on 22 September.
The court heard how, on that afternoon, Brockhill told Star off for ripping up a concert ticket.
Smith claimed she had gone to the toilet then heard a “bang” and when she came back she says Brockhill was “breathing into her [Star’s] face”.
She added: “She looked like she couldn’t breathe properly… I said to her, we needed to get some help and Savannah said no she’ll be fine, she’s just winded.”
The jury were played a 999 call that said Brockhill had called her into the room.
There was an 11-minute delay from the incident happening and the pair calling the emergency services, during which time they searched online for “how to bring a baby out of shock”. When paramedics arrived, it was too late.
