How did Poppi Worthington die, what was her dad Paul’s involvement and what was the verdict at the inquest?
POPPI Worthington was 13-months-old when she died after being found with serious injuries at her home in 2012.
On January 15, 2018, a coroner ruled Poppi was sexually assaulted before suffocating on a double bed.
What happened to Poppi Worthington?
Poppi Worthington collapsed suddenly at the family home in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in December 2012.
The 13-month-old was taken to Furness General Hospital and died from her injuries.
A full post-mortem report in June 2013 indicated the cause of death as "unascertained".
A couple of months later her parents were arrested and formally interviewed, and her father Paul Worthington was questioned on suspicion of sexually assaulting his daughter, which he denied.
In October 2014 an inquest took just seven minutes to declare her death as unexplained after the coroner stated he was satisfied to rely on the findings of the private fact-finding judgement.
Months later in March 2015, Cumbria Police announced no charges would be brought against anyone over Poppi's death after they had previously passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service for its consideration.
High Court judges later ordered a fresh inquest into the tot's death after the first hearing was deemed "irregular".
What are the key dates in the case?
- December 12, 2012: Poppi Worthington dies aged 13 months in hospital triggering a police investigation and her father Paul and a 30-year-old woman are arrested
- February 2013: Former coroner Ian Smith opens and adjourns an inquest into Poppi's death, during which no records were taken
- March 2014: The High Court refuses to make public a fact-finding judgement surrounding the tot's death
- April 2014: Cumbria Local Safeguarding Board launches a serious case review
- July 2014: Media organisations fail to persuade a judge to make the fact-finding judgement public after Cumbria County Council asks for details about Poppi's death to be withheld for 15 years
- July 2014: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) begins an investigation
- October 2014: An inquest lasting just seven minutes, determines Poppi's death is "unexplained". No more details were revealed
- November 2014: Media again fail to get court restrictions on publication of the fact-finding judgement lifted
- January 2015: Senior coroner David Roberts asks the Attorney General to grant a fresh inquest into Poppi's death
- March 2015: Cumbria Police say Poppi's father and the woman arrested over her death will not face criminal action
- April 2015: Another attempt by media groups to have details of Poppi's death made public was denied
- April 2015: The High Court agrees to an application from Poppi's father for medical evidence surrounding her death to be re-examined
- November 2015: Family Court judge Mr Justice Peter Jackson criticises Cumbria Police and the county council over their handling of Poppi's case
- November 2015: Some details of Poppi's death are made public and highlight police failings, including not preserving items for forensic testing
- November 2015: Retired detective Mike Forrester, who was one of those in charge of investigating Poppi's death, admits mistakes were made
- November 2015: Family Court hears of "astonishing incompetence" of police investigating Poppi's death
- December 2015: Conflicting theories heard in Family Court hears by experts over whether Poppi was sexually assaulted before her death
- December 2015: Lawyers acting for Poppi's father tell the court the evidence suggests he did not abuse his daughter
- January 2016: Mr Justice Peter Jackson rules that on the balance of probabilities Paul Worthington did sexually assault Poppi shortly before her death
- January 2016: Ex-justice minister Sir Simon Hughes calls for a criminal investigation to be reopened into Paul Worthington
- February 2016: A leaked IPCC report brands Cumbria Police's investigation into Poppi's death "unstructured and disorganised"
- February 2016: The government says it can't order the release of the full IPCC report requested by Barrow MP John Woodcock because it could jeopardise a new inquest
- March 2016: A pre-inquest hearing is held by the Cumbria coroner to determine a date and details for a full inquest
- June 2016: The Cumbria Local Safeguarding Children Board carries out a review and finds that family members could have have been offered more support because of a "complex history". The report also questions Poppi's mum's ability to protect her family
- July 2016: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announces there is insufficient evidence to charge Paul Worthington over the death, while Cumbria Police said it "deeply regrets" the way the investigation was handled
- September 2016: A second inquest is suspended, pending a review by the CPS
- November 2016: The CPS upholds the decision not to bring charges over Poppi's death
- March 2017: The full IPCC report is published listing a raft of failings by Cumbria Police
- November 2017: The second inquest begins and Paul Worthington declines to answer questions
- November 2017: Inquest is told that traces of Poppi's DNA were found on Worthington's penis when forensic tests were conducted after her death
- December 2017: Paul Worthington is brought under witness protection costing taxpayers £50,000
- January 2018: A coroner ruled that Poppi was sexually assaulted before suffocating on a double bed.
- March 2018: Poppi Worthington's dad Paul will not be charged over the toddler's death, despite sex assault ruling.
- March 2018 Wayne Roebuck, 39, was arrested over the disappearance of laptop Paul Worthington used to watched porn on the same night Poppi died.
- July 2018: Detectives found the missing laptop Poppi Worthington's dad used to watch porn on the night she died. The computer has been sent off for investigation.
What were Cumbria Police failings?
The police watchdog said Cumbria Constabulary's investigation was "unstructured and disorganised".
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said cops did not adequately investigate whether Poppi was sexually abused and instead continued to focus on natural causes of death.
It published its 2015 findings into the initial police probe over Poppi's death in March 2017 - but it took two years for the entire inquiry to reach a resolution.
The 92-page IPCC report blasted investigating officers Det Insp Amanda Sadler and Det Supt Michael Forrester for bungling the probe.
The Chief Constable of Cumbria Constabulary, Jerry Graham, said: "I unreservedly accept the criticisms contained within the report.
"I am absolutely clear that the Constabulary's initial investigation fell well short of the standard that could, and should, have been expected.
"I profoundly regret that we let Poppi and her family down and I offer a heartfelt apology for this."
A man was arrested in the hunt for a laptop used by Poppi Worthington's dad Paul in March 2018.
Wayne Roebuck, 39, was quizzed over its whereabouts.
Paul Worthington, 50, watched porn on the laptop before allegedly sexually assaulting 13-month-old Poppi in the hours before she died in 2012.
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What's the latest from the inquest?
On January 15, 2018, a coroner ruled that Poppi was the victim of a sexual assault that left her bleeding from her bottom, having been taken out of her cot in the middle of the night.
Prosecutors are considering the findings of the latest inquest - the CPS and Cumbria Police will revisit the case after the judgement.
The tragic tot, who was previously "fit and active", died of asphyxiation moments after the chilling attack due to an “unsafe sleeping environment”, the court heard.
Poppi's devastated mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, earlier fled the court in tears as the coroner recounted chilling evidence detailing the sickening injuries her daughter suffered.
But Mr Roberts could not say that the abuse caused her death - and did not rule that she was unlawfully killed.
Cumbria's senior coroner David Roberts gave his conclusions on Monday following a three-week inquest before Christmas, with Poppi's father Paul Worthington having refused to answer questions about her death 252 times.
The coroner said he had watched Poppi's father closely, but was unable to conclude "definitively" on his honesty - adding that his account of what happened in the moments before his daughter's death did "not stand up to scrutiny".
The coroner had earlier stated he would reach his conclusions around the "active and social" tot's death that were before him, rather than the missing details.
Haunting snaps taken by Cumbria Police shortly after Poppi's death in December 2012 were released after the coroner allowed them to be made public.
Pictures show the bed where Poppi was placed at the time of her collapse as well as the cot and pyjamas she slept in in the hours before her death.
Her dad Paul Worthington told police he had taken Poppi into bed with him because she was feeling unwell before realising she appeared lifeless.
But an inquest heard evidence from a Home Office pathologist who said she also believed Poppi's case showed “strong suspicions of child abuse”.
MR Worthington denies any wrongdoing and has never been charged with any offence.