| Flowers in Gods Garden
- Articles |
06/11/01
- Victoria Climbie policewoman was 'deluged with work'
The police officer who released Victoria Climbie back
into the care of her abusers says she had 13 other outstanding
cases at the time. Pc Rachel Dewar lifted the police protection
order imposed when Victoria was admitted to the Central
Middlesex Hospital in July 1999, a day later.
She failed to interview the girl, as she was attending
a child protection seminar. Ms Dewar, who was the designated
officer on Victoria's case from the Brent Child Protection
team in North London, told the public inquiry into Victoria's
death, the unit was overwhelmed with work.
"It was often expressed that we were one of the busiest
if not the busiest child protection team in the Metropolitan
police," said Ms Dewar, who personally handled 121
referrals in 1999. Victoria's injuries were diagnosed
as scabies and she was released back into the care of
Marie Therese Kouao.
By February 2000, eight-year-old Victoria was dead, weighing
less that four stones and with 128 separate injuries to
her body. Ms Dewar made the decision to release Victoria
despite feeling that the child, who was admitted to hospital
with a 50p-sized burn on her cheek, thick yellow puss
seeping from her fingers, and injuries to her arms and
legs, may have been a victim of grievous bodily harm.
She lifted the police protection order without having
seen Victoria even though under the Children Act 1989
she was supposed to inform the child who was under police
protection about what steps had been taken.
Under this law she was also supposed to tell Victoria
what action was to be taken, to discover her feelings
about the matter and ensure that the case was properly
inquired into. In January this year Kouao, 44, and her
boyfriend Carl Manning, 28, were jailed for life for murder.
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