| Flowers in Gods Garden
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04/02/02
- Key figures in the Climbié case
David Batty
Guardian
FAMILY
Victoria Climbié
After suffering months of horrific abuse, Victoria Climbié
died aged just eight on February 25 2000. Nearly 18
months earlier her parents had sent her from her home
in a shanty town in the Ivory Coast to live with her
great-aunt in the hope she would get a good education
and enjoy a better life. Instead she was beaten with
bicycle chains and kept trussed up in a plastic sack
in an unlit, unheated bathroom.
Berthe Amoissi and Francis Climbié
Victoria's parents, Berthe and her husband Francis,
say Marie Thérèse Kouao duped them into
believing she would take good care of their daughter.
The couple, who have six other children, live in the
poverty-stricken suburbs of Abidjan, capital of the
Ivory Coast. They were the first witnesses to give evidence
at the inquiry on Friday September 28.
Mr Climbié broke down after being shown pictures
of Victoria with a tooth missing and scald marks on
her face. The couple's solicitor has warned they might
bring private prosecutions against police officers and
care workers whose negligence contributed to their daughter's
murder.
KILLERS
Marie Thérèse Kouao
Victoria's great-aunt was found guilty of her murder
at the Old Bailey in January 2001. The girl lived with
Kouao and her boyfriend in his tiny studio flat in Tottenham,
north London. Kouao, a French citizen, always denied
mistreating Victoria - whom she called Anna - and claimed
the girl's horrendous injuries were self-inflicted.
She also dragged her niece to a church to be exorcised,
claiming the eight-year-old was possessed by evil spirits.
Giving evidence on Tuesday 8 January this year, Kouao
- the first convicted murderer to give evidence in person
at a public inquiry - ranted and raved that she was
innocent, claimed she was the victim of a conspiracy
and criticised Victoria's parents.
Carl Manning
Kuoao's boyfriend, Manning was also found guilty of
Victoria's murder. In a chilling confession read in
court, the bus driver told police: "You could beat
her and she would not cry at all. She could take the
beatings and pain like anything."
In video-recorded evidence played at the inquiry on
Wednesday January 30, he apologised for his part in
Victoria's "sickening" death and claimed that
child protection agencies could not be blamed for her
suffering.
HARINGEY COUNCIL
Lisa Arthurworrey
Victoria's allocated social worker was suspended by
Haringey council after Kouao and Manning were found
guilty of the girl's murder in January 2001. Ms Arthurworrey,
who worked in the child protection team at the council's
north Tottenham office, is accused by her employers
of negligence and failing to safeguard and promote the
interests of a child in her care.
The social worker, who told the inquiry she has suffered
from depression since Victoria's death, claims she has
been the victim of a witch hunt, and was poorly supervised
and advised by her seniors.
Angella Mairs
A social work manager and Lisa Arthurworrey's second
supervisor, Ms Mairs has also been suspended by Haringey
council. She is alleged to have removed a key document
from Victoria's file after her murder, made false or
misleading statements and failed to maintain childcare
standards. She denied these charges at the inquiry on
Friday December 7.
Carole Baptiste
This former Haringey social work manager was Lisa Arthurworrey's
original supervisor. Ms Baptiste, a born-again Christian,
was found to be "professionally unfit for her job"
in November 1999.
Ms Arthurworrey said the former supervisor was often
absent from work and spent supervision sessions talking
about her experiences as a black woman and her relationship
with God, rather than child protection cases.
Ms Baptiste appeared before the inquiry on Tuesday January
15 when she begged Victoria's parents for forgiveness.
The following day, it emerged that she was developing
a "serious psychotic mental illness" while
supervising the girl's case in 1999.
Anne Bristow
The director of housing and social services at Haringey
council, Ms Bristow was threatened with facing up to
six months in jail by Lord Laming - head of the inquiry
into Victoria's death - under the powers granted to
him by the 1972 Local Government Act.
The inquiry chairman issued her with a summons on November
30 to appear before the inquiry on the following Monday
with all documents related to Victoria's case that were
still in the council's possession. Haringey then handed
over 630 documents.
However, Ms Bristow still faces a possible jail sentence
following the discovery of a further 71 documents relating
to Victoria's case at the end of January. She told the
inquiry on Wednesday January 30 that her child protection
staff were not overworked.
Dawn Green
This child protection adviser for Haringey social services
was a co-author of an internal report, prepared after
Victoria's death, which identified serious lapses in
child protection at the north Tottenham office that
was responsible for the girl's case.
The failings included an 11-year-old boy who complained
his father was hitting him but was not seen by social
workers for nearly a year. Ms Green told the inquiry
on Thursday November 29 that she was shocked and appalled
by the review's findings.
Pauline Bradley
Ms Bradley, a former Haringey social worker and Unison
shop steward, worked in the council's north Tottenham
office when Victoria was under Lisa Arthurworrey's care.
Giving evidence on Monday December 3, she said that
the restructuring of Haringey social services "virtually
paralysed" child protection while the girl was
in its care. However, senior managers - including the
assistant director of social services, Carol Wilson
- dismissed her concerns and those raised by other frontline
staff.
Gurbux Singh
Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, Gurbux
Singh is one of many high profile figures called to
give evidence at the inquiry. He was chief executive
of Haringey council at the time when its social services
department was failing to protect Victoria from Kouao
and Manning. Mr Singh told the inquiry on Tuesday December
18 that there was nothing he could have done to prevent
the girl's death.
OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES
Michelle Hines
A senior child protection social worker at Brent council,
Ms Hines closed an investigation into suspected abuse
against Victoria Climbié without meeting her.
The social worker told the inquiry on Friday October
12 that she "would have done things differently"
in hindsight.
She said that Victoria's investigation was downgraded
due to the diagnosis provided by consultant paediatrician
Dr Ruby Schwartz, who decided that the girl's injuries
were the result of scabies rather than abuse.
Edward Armstrong
It emerged that this senior Brent social worker involved
in the Victoria Climbié case was ordered not
to work with children after being disciplined by the
London borough in 1993. Yet he continued to do so until
being suspended following the girl's death.
Mr Armstrong, who was team manager of the intake duty
team at the council, with responsibility for assessing
the status of children deemed at risk of abuse, told
the inquiry on Tuesday October 9 that senior managers
had ordered the inappropriate closure of dozens of vulnerable
children's cases in September 1999.
Norman Tutt
As director of Ealing social services, Norman Tutt has
been praised for turning around a department condemned
by the Department of Health as "the worst in the
country" in 1997.
Addressing the inquiry on Wednesday January 23, Mr Tutt
said that after "root and branch restructuring"
the department was commended for making progress by
the social services inspectorate. However, he admitted
staff had made mistakes in handling Victoria's case
when she and Kouao arrived in Ealing a month later.
HOSPITAL
Dr Ruby Schwartz
This consultant paediatrician and child protection doctor
at Central Middlesex hospital examined a cut and bruised
Victoria in July 1999. Kouao persuaded Dr Schwartz that
the girl's horrific injuries were self-inflicted scratches
due to scabies.
The consultant admitted at the inquiry on Friday October
12 that she was responsible for a series of procedural
failures in Victoria's treatment, which saw the girl
returned to her abusers. These included failing to write
a discharge letter and delegating the social services
referral letter to a locum senior house officer who
stated there were no child protection concerns about
the eight-year-old's case.
Dr Mary Rossiter Consultant paediatrician Dr Rossiter
decided to discharge Victoria from North Middlesex Hospital
on August 2 1999, despite being sure that the girl was
suffering from abuse and neglect.
Appearing before the inquiry on Monday November 12,
Dr Rossiter admitted expecting social services and police
would assess the girl after she was discharged and that
there would be a child protection conference to decide
how to deal with her case. But she accepted doctors'
and nurses' suspicions that Victoria's injuries were
deliberate were not clearly recorded, and no conference
was held.
METROPOLITAN POLICE
PC Karen Jones
Haringey child protection officer PC Karen Jones failed
to investigate Victoria's injuries after Kuoao told
her they were self-inflicted. She told the inquiry on
Monday November 19 that she had not inspected the girl's
home in Tottenham out of fear of catching scabies.
The police woman claimed there was no evidence of child
abuse despite a doctor telling her that marks on Victoria's
body were consistent with belt buckle injuries.
Sergeant Alan Hodges
This police sergeant supervised the police investigation
into allegations that Victoria was indecently assaulted
by her great-aunt's boyfriend, Carl Manning. Giving
evidence at the inquiry on Tuesday November 20, he said
Haringey social workers aggressively obstructed police
investigations into child protection cases.
He singled out social work manager Angella Mairs as
a particularly difficult person to deal with. However,
Sgt Hodges admitted lacking the expertise to adequately
supervise PC Karen Jones, the officer responsible for
protecting Victoria, when he joined the Haringey child
protection team in October 1999.
Detective Chief Inspector Wheeler
Det Ch Insp Wheeler supervised six police child protection
teams in north-west London at the time of Victoria's
death. He wrote a damning report on them, describing
the Haringey squad involved in the girl's case as "totally
unacceptable" and "bereft" of proper
organisation.
He had to be taken to hospital after a woman threw a
pot of ink over his head while he gave evidence on Thursday
January 10. The following day, his former boss, Chief
Superintendent Susan Akers, claimed he had been lying
when he said he only held "purely administrative"
responsibility for the teams.
CHURCH
Pastor Alvaro Lima
A pastor at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
in Finsbury Park, north London, Mr Lima saw Victoria
twice in the week before her death. He told the inquiry
on Thursday December 6 that the girl was cold and wet
and her eyes were fluttering as though she was fainting
when he saw her on February 24 2000 - the day before
she died.
The church minister said he suspected that Victoria
was being neglected after Kouao told him the girl was
possessed by Satan. But he admitted failing to contact
any child protection services about his concerns.
Pastor Pascal Orome
This preacher, who "exorcised" Victoria, was
convinced by Kouao that the girl's injuries were the
result of demonic possession. Pastor Orome, who preaches
in Borough, south-east London, told the inquiry on Monday
October 8 that Kouao said the eight-year-old was incontinent,
put excrement into food, burned herself and made a mess
at home, which provided evidence that she was possessed.
He said that he knew Victoria was coping with hardship
when he first saw her in August 1999. But he did not
tell Kouao to take the girl to a doctor because he was
"too busy".
INQUIRY PANEL
Lord Laming
The former chief inspector of social services, Lord
Laming, is one of the UK's most distinguished social
workers, and a veteran of government inquiries. Last
December he stepped down as head of the Shipman inquiry
after relatives of the victims of the murderous GP won
a judicial review forcing the inquiry to be held in
public.
But his appointment as chairman of the Climbié
inquiry proved controversial, as it emerged he was director
of Hertfordshire county council's social services when
the department was harshly criticised for its handling
of a child abuse case in 1990.
OTHERS
Esther Ackah
Esther Ackah, related to Kouao by marriage, twice warned
the London borough of Brent that Victoria's life was
in danger. Mrs Ackah, a midwife, counsellor and preacher,
rang the council's emergency hotline in June 1999, after
visiting the squalid flat in Harlesden, north-west London
where the girl was then living with her great aunt.
She told the inquiry on Monday October 1 that she expected
Brent social services would carry out a child protection
investigation, but it never did.
Priscilla and Avril Cameron
Priscilla Cameron, from Brent, north-west London, was
Victoria's childminder in the summer of 1999 - although
it has emerged she was never vetted by social services.
Giving evidence at the inquiry on Friday October 5,
Mrs Cameron said the girl had appeared scared of Marie
Thérèse Kouao during the three months
that she looked after her.
Her daughter Avril took Victoria to the Central Middlesex
hospital after they noticed a series of wounds all over
the girl's body. Ms Cameron told the inquiry she had
been shocked to discover that the hospital's child protection
doctor had decided the scars were caused by scabies.
Dr Nathaniel Carey
The Home Office pathologist found 128 separate injuries
on Victoria's body when he carried out a post mortem.
Giving evidence to the inquiry on Monday October 1,
Dr Carey said these injuries amounted to the worst case
of child abuse he had ever dealt with or heard of. He
said nowhere on the eight-year-old's malnourished body
was scar-free. |
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