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28/09/01 - 'I feel no blame,'
girl's father tells Climbie inquiry
Lorna Duckworth Social Affairs Correspondent
Independent
VICTORIA CLIMBIE'S father said yesterday that
he felt no blame for allowing a great-aunt to take his
daughter to England, where she was savagely beaten, starved
and tortured to death.
Francis Climbie told the third day of the inquiry into
Victoria's death that it was customary in the family's
home country, Ivory Coast, for a well-off relative to
take a child to Europe for schooling. "I have been
asked whether I lay blame to myself forhanding over Victoria
in this way and I can say that I do not because it's custom
for people to be taken to Europe," Mr Climbie said.
"It was going to be in Victoria' s best interests."
The hearing was told that Victoria, who was aged eight
when she died, left Africa in October 1998 with Marie
Therese Kouao, a great-aunt her parents scarcely knew.
They hoped Victoria, a very intelligent child who "stood
out" from her six brothers andsisters, would be
successful and train for a career. But less than 18
months later, she died in a London hospital with 128
different injuries inflicted by Kouao, 44, and her boyfriend,
Carl Manning, 28, who are serving life sentences for
her murder.
Mr Climbie broke down when he saw a photograph of Victoria
with two front teeth missing, an eye half closed and
her face disfigured by scars and burns. "It is
very horrible," he said. "She was not like
this before. She was a very pretty girl. I fear howmuch
my daughter suffered."
Kouao had arrived "without notice" at their
home in Abidjan, to suggest that she take one child
to a school in France, where she said had a well- paid
job at an airport. All the children wanted to go, but
Victoria was chosen. After Kouao left they heardfrom
her just three times, the last being in January 2000,
a month before Victoria died, when they received some
photos and an assurance that the child was well. Mr
Climbie said: "Victoria looked sad, thin and gaunt.
I became concerned but was not in aposition to do anything
at the time." He was out of work and short of money.
"I thought that Victoria might be ill, but never
thought that she was being neglected or otherwise badly
treated," Mr Climbie said. "We had never heard
of child abuse before and, for generations, family members
had been trusted to care for all thechildren as if they
were their own."
Soon after the last letter, the Metropolitan Police
told Mr Climbie and his wife, Berthe, that their daughter
had been killed and the couple had to travel to England
to identify her body. "When I realised that the
woman who had been entrusted to lookafter my daughter
had done this I was absolutely devastated," he
said. "I felt anger and hatred towards Marie Therese."
The hearing continues. |
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