POLICE bungles mean a dad found
to have abused his 13-month-old daughter before she died may never face
trial.
Poppi Worthington suffered serious injuries in December 2012 and died after
being taken to hospital.
Dad Paul Worthington was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault but never
charged due to an “absence of evidence”.
A shoddy investigation by Cumbria Constabulary meant they could not build a
case against a man who denied wrongdoing over a death shrouded in secrecy.
But yesterday it emerged a High Court family judge ruled Worthington, 48, did
carry out a “distressing” assault on Poppi, one of twins, before her death.
The 2014 fact-finding civil court judgment in Liverpool was kept private to
avoid prejudicing any criminal proceedings — while an inquest took seven
minutes to find her death “unexplained”.
During the civil hearing, which can only now be reported, it emerged
Worthington watched porn in bed on his laptop only hours before Poppi’s
death.
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Judge Peter Jackson concluded: “My finding is that the father perpetrated a
[sexual] assault on Poppi.” He added: “The evidence does not exclude any one
of a number of distressing possibilities.”
Yet among a string of failings cops did not preserve evidence or secure the
scene at Poppi’s home in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The judge said they did
no “real” probe into her death for nine months.
Cumbria Constabulary said “lessons had been learned” and three officers were
investigated by watchdogs.
Judges have ruled a second inquest should take place but no date is set.
The NSPCC said last night: “No child must ever be failed again in this way”.
Local council’s shock cover-up
COUNCIL chiefs criticised for failing to properly investigate Poppi’s death
tried to gag reporting of the case.
Bumbling Cumbria County Council, which did not start care proceedings against
other kids in Poppi’s household until ten months after she died, tried to
restrict media reports.
But Judge Peter Jackson rejected its plea for an order that would have hidden
Poppi’s identity for 15 years.