A TODDLER whose death was shrouded in secrecy for three years was sexually
abused by her father shortly before her sudden death, a High Court judge has
ruled.
Tragic Poppi Worthington, aged 13 months, was found with serious injuries at
her home in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in December 2012.
She was rushed to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Her father Paul Worthington, now 47, was later arrested and questioned on
suspicion of sexual assault but never charged with any offence. He denies
any wrongdoing.
Today family judge Mr Justice Peter Jackson gave a ruling of fact that on the
balance of probabilities Mr Worthington did abuse Poppi shortly before she
died.
The judge’s findings following a hearing last month were published in full for
the first time today – and included damning evidence of the botched police
investigation and failures by social workers.
Cumbria Police announced in March last year that no charges would be brought
against anyone over Poppi’s death, including her mother, who cannot be named
for legal reasons.
The mother wept in court as Mr Justice Jackson gave a summary of his fresh
judgment. Mr Worthington did not attend the hearing.
Details of Poppi’s sudden death had been kept secret for almost three years
until a public hearing began in November.
A 2014 fact-finding civil court judgment was kept private so as not to
prejudice any criminal proceedings, while an inquest controversially took
only seven minutes to declare her death as “unexplained”.
Last month, three medical experts gave evidence in open court stating they
disagreed with the findings of a Home Office pathologist who carried out a
post-mortem examination on Poppi and concluded she was the victim of “a
penetrative sexual assault”.
The hearing took place after Mr Worthington appealed against the 2014 findings
of Mr Justice Jackson as part of care proceedings in relation to other
children in the family.
Mr Justice Jackson, sitting at Liverpool Crown Court, said he found no reason
to come to a different conclusion and dismissed Mr Worthington’s appeal.
He said: “In conclusion, stepping back and reviewing the evidence as a
whole, I arrive at the same view.
“Shorn to its essentials, the situation is one in which a healthy child
with no medical condition or illness was put to bed by her mother one
evening and brought downstairs eight hours later by her father in a lifeless
state and with troubling injuries, most obviously significant bleeding.
“Careful assessment of the meticulous pathological and paediatric
evidence has clearly established that the injuries were the result of trauma
from outside the body.
“My finding (in the previous judgment) was that the father perpetrated a
penetrative assault on Poppi. That remains my conclusion.”
It also emerged police did not properly investigate Poppi’s death for EIGHT
months.
Detectives thought pathologist Dr Alison Armour ”may have jumped to
conclusions” when she raised concerns Poppi’s internal injuries may have
been the result of a sexual assault and she also had suspicious leg
fractures.
But a senior officer referred to as Detective Chief Inspector “F”
refused to authorise forensic tests on samples, according to the judgement.
He is understood to be retired Detective Superintendent Mike Forrester.
Senior officers did not visit the family home and key evidence including
Poppi’s last nappy were lost. Items from hospital were also thrown away.
Poppi was buried in February 2013 after her body was released by coroner Ian
Smith – ruling out a further post-mortem examination.
The judge said it was “extraordinary” Dr Armour’s full post-mortem
report was not completed until June 25 that year, six months after Poppi
died. The pathologist explained to the court that she wanted to have all the
histology results before committing herself in a case of such seriousness.
The delay meant that “no real” police investigation took place until
August when officers eventually began forensic tests and Poppi’s parents
were arrested later that month.
It was the first time the parents had been asked to give formal interviews,
and their Facebook accounts and mobile phones were never analysed.
There is now said to be an “absence of evidence” to find out how Poppi
died following the botched police investigation and her burial. All the
medical experts who have reviewed the case agree the cause of death is “unascertained”.
Cumbria County Council also came in for criticism in the judgement after
social workers failed to take action to protect Poppi’s siblings.
A “wholly inaccurate” assessment led to a ten-month delay before
care proceedings were issued over other children in the family, it can now
be reported.
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Council officers held a strategy meeting on the day of Poppi’s death in
December 2012 – in which a paediatrician with responsibility for
safeguarding was recorded as stating the toddler’s condition could be
explained by chronic constipation.
The judge said in his 2014 fact-finding judgment, published in full today: “This
view can only have come directly or indirectly from the parents or from a
misunderstanding.
“It is wholly inaccurate, was not based on any medical evidence …
however it was accepted as fact without challenge and must have influenced
many of the decisions that followed.”
The judge said if car proceedings had begun immediately the court would have
made sure police investigated properly.
He said: “The local authority shares responsibility with the police for
the fact that this did not happen.”
Amazingly, the bungling council then tried to gag the media from reporting the
case last year. Mr Justice Jackson slapped down the request, saying it “would
have had the effect of concealing for the next 15 years” the identity
of the dead child and even the authorities involved.
Last summer Cumbria Police referred itself to the Independent Police
Complaints Commission and said three officers were subject to the
investigation. One officer was suspended – the now retired Mr Forrester –
while the two others had moved into different roles.
In November, Mr Forrester said his officers did the best they could with the
resources available and some of the criticism was unfair.
He told BBC North West Tonight: ”I’m not saying we get it right all the time
but none of us on this case have done anything intentionally wrong, we
haven’t done anything dishonest.”
The IPCC report may not be published until after a second inquest is held into
Poppi’s death.