Dragged by her reins through Bradford and nobody does anything? Keep it up society!
Dont give me that BS that people didn’t see shit, thats clear abuse in broad daylight and not one person challenged it. and then they feign ignorance when they wonder why these stories keep on happening,
Utterly heartbreaking, what monsters can repeatedly beat a baby!
Will be interesting to compare the sentence to the other one recently in similar circumstances.
And Frankie Smith, Star’s mum, was guilty of allowing/causing death of a child, and not guilty for murder/manslaughter.
This has been another horrifying case of abhorrent child abuse, made even more unsettling by how recently the trial for Arthur Hughes’ murder was. This was another child loved by their wider family, but had the misfortune of having a fucking useless, piss head parent who let their child be used as a punching bag. Once again, several reports were made by concerned family members to Children’s Services, who were easily brushed off by Frankie and never actually met Star.
I’m glad to see these verdicts, but I’d much rather see social services do their fucking jobs (and be adequately funded to do so) because this number of vulnerable children ending up dead because of their subhuman parents’ terrible relationship choices is awful.
It’s also really uncomfortable the BBC have chosen a picture that shows Star with faded bruising around her eyes.
The level of depravity that it takes to repeatedly torture a defenceless child is just beyond comprehension. To allow someone to do that your own child is worse. Neither of the fucks should ever be free. Kind of wish we still had oubliettes.
Christ almighty. What the fuck is wrong with people?
From the Guardian article it sounds like the mother had an intellectual disability. Shouldn’t that alone make the health services and social services support her more to make sure she can handle being a mother? Obviously I am not saying people with intellectual disabilities abuse their children but often they need extra support to ensure they’re doing everything they should be doing. This poor baby was failed by the system so many times.
>In May 2020, Star’s wider family say, they were told they could no longer see her, on Brockhill’s orders. The catalyst was Smith’s grandmother calling social services after learning Brockhill had been holding Star in a “slam choke”. This wrestling move involved Star being “lifted up by her neck or throat and then thrust on the bed”, the court heard. Challenged by her grandma, Smith said it was to toughen Star up.
>But some family members still managed to see Star. In June, they noticed she had bruises and had changed from being a happy, healthy child to a withdrawn, fearful one who often seemed to be in pain and had lost weight. Late that month, Hobson called social services after seeing pictures of bruises on his daughter’s face, which resulted in a police visit and Star being checked over at the local hospital.
>When friends and family were allowed near the couple, they were alarmed to see the strict regime Brockhill seemed to have instigated for Star. She was deliberately deprived of sleep and was barely a year old when she was forced to spend five minutes or more standing alone facing a wall for the most minor of transgressions – transgressions that she was in any case far too young to understand.
>It was again the couple’s phones that proved beyond reasonable doubt that they had been abusing Star for their own amusement.
>In June 2020, they both filmed Star wobbling in a daze of exhaustion before falling head first off her chair. They found the video hilarious, sending a version to friends edited by Brockhill with a soundtrack and captions added for dramatic effect. Brockhill later told the jury she was inspired by You’ve Been Framed when editing the videos.
> Smith told the jury she did not understand at the time that what she was doing amounted to child abuse. “I loved my Star,” she said, despite them having heard she had previously referred to her daughter as “cunt” and “it”.
> Partway through the trial she said she had seen the light, and pleaded guilty to neglecting Star on at least eight separate occasions in the month up to her death. This included one incident caught on CCTV in Bradford city centre, where she was seen dragging Star along the pavement using her reins.
> She said she did not know that day that Star’s leg was already broken. That fracture was the result of one of 21 blows inflicted on Star by Brockhill a few days earlier when she took her to work at a recycling centre in Doncaster so Smith could go out drinking.
> CCTV captured the relentless abuse, which also resulted in a fractured skull. Brockhill tried to persuade the jury the cameras lied, admitting to slapping Star once on the cheek but nothing worse. She suggested that the fatal blow to Star’s abdomen on 22 September was inflicted not by her, an 11-stone amateur boxer, but one of the other children in the room at a time when she had her back turned. Alternatively, she suggested, perhaps Star simply fell off the sofa.
> Throughout the seven-week trial, Brockhill insisted she too loved Star and was just trying to get her into a “routine”. She told paramedics that Star was “my little girl as well, I brought her up”, and then casually put her coffee cup down on the hospital trolley where Star lay dead. At times during the evidence she cried, wiping away tears with a disposable face mask.
> The day Star was murdered, social services were due to visit Smith – numerous visits were made throughout 2020 as files were opened and shut into Star’s care – but Smith had successfully “fobbed off” the social worker, the court heard, and postponed the meeting.
> Bradford council said a local child safeguarding practice review was ongoing and would be finalised after the trial’s conclusion. Star’s family said they hoped it would explain why social workers did not take steps to keep Star safe despite numerous warnings.
This as horrific as poor Arthur two weeks ago. Jesus Christ.
A genuinely shocking and profoundly disturbing story. I hope the woman understands what she’s done. But I don’t really see how anyone can do that if they’re capable of any form of compassion at all.
Poor sweet baby. Beyond tragic. Rest in peace Star 🕊️
I just can’t. Just…. what the fuck goes on in these people’s minds? I feel trite even saying that; there’s sadly too many overused phrases at the moment for hideous, wicked bastards like this and Arthur’s stepmum and dad.
I look at my pair, who are nearly 5 and just 2, so not dissimilar ages to Arthur and Star, and I just can’t begin to imagine. My eldest, my son, is my complete sunshine. He still has a dummy to sleep because despite being a big active lad, he has always had it as his favourite comfort. My little girl is just now becoming crazily active and as wild (wilder!) than her brother. The pair of them are a force to be reckoned with, and when I have had to be shit mum and remove something or do the telling off or see them get upset because of some apparent parental injustice (like banning blippi because he’s bloody awful), I feel like crap after. Just…. I can’t imagine what goes through a parent’s mind to either allow or carry out the pain and suffering on the little ones most recently in the news.
I hope with all my heart that all four adults recently convicted spend every day of their prison sentences in as much misery as possible. I wish for nothing but their days to be long, painful, and as nasty as they can be while they rot, thinking about what they’ve done to these tiny babies. Let them live out their entire sentences in prison; there should be no ability to allow for appeals / reduction of sentences or early release from something like this.
My nephew is 16 months old, I couldn’t even begin to fathom beating him up or abusing him. For someone to actually murder a child is beyond evil. I hope justice is done.
Yeah I won’t be reading the details of this case, too heartbreaking. I hope those responsible spend the rest of their miserable little lives regretting what they have done.
[deleted]
Absolutely horrifying news, poor Star. She, and every other child deserves so much better. Chuck these evil people in prison for a life term, and if they ever get out, sterilisation should be a condition of their release. May they never know an hour’s peace for the rest of their lives.
If her mother was in the bottom 2% of intelligence (per Guardian article, but am on mobile) how the hell did she have the ability to repeatedly fob off social services?
Social services absolutely dropped the ball 100% – again – on this case. Either they are hiring workers too young and inexperienced to see through lies and ask tough questions or their managers are so terrified of offending someone and getting sued that they’re just taking the excuses of abusers as a tick box “looks ok to me” exercise.
I feel physically sick. I have a young daughter and I cannot fathom the kind of depravity required to break legs and fracture the skulls of children. I shudder to think of the psychological torment she went though near the end.
Poor wee girl. Rest in peace Star.
Once again children’s services were involved shutting and closing cases without actually concluding whether a child is at harm or not.
The children’s services in this country needs to be funded properly and procedures reformed
Four clear chances to pick up on a dangerous situation missed. The child welfare provision needs to be thoroughly overhauled and funded properly if need be. I’m devastated just by looking at the photos, I can’t imagine the pain that those who loved and cherished her are in. Rest in peace little Star.
How could someone do this? I don’t get the mindset behind laughing at a toddler falling downstairs let alone punching one to death. I was the same with Arthur, it just doesn’t compute. I have a two year old little girl so this really hit home. Awful, poor kid.
Reading this with my 3 month old daughter asleep in my arms, I just cannot fathom how anyone could treat a baby like that. Poor poor wee girl, all they want is love and safety and she lived in pain and fear the whole of her short life.
Utterly heartbreaking.
I hope they suffer for the rest of their f* lives in prison, I know they will in the hereafter!
Hopefully she won’t be in GP and won’t be allowed to bully other prisoners.
Sorry I’ve come here to rant and don’t wish to break any rules. Just need to get this off my chest.
What another 2 months from the murder conviction of Arthur to what was once again a couple and child known to social services. We get these two sacks of wasted oxygen who do that to that poor little girl.
Another crime which should bring back the death penalty. A life for a life. Heck bring back in service the tower of London. Drag them through the streets and then hang them until dead.
Heck even that’s mercy in my eyes.
Whats it going to take? Really.
I don’ condone torture. However with this case I would make a exception.
( Sorry just a dad who loves his kids more than my own life)
This story has utterly broken my heart and I can’t stop thinking about it. I just can’t fathom how a human being could treat such a young child like this.
I would never wish anything bad on anyone.
However I can honestly say, I truly hope they both live an incredibly long miserable and painful existence.
I’ve never been more excited to anticipate the upcoming news around how the other prisoners will torture the absolute fuck out of them. I hope she gets to meet an actual psycho instead of thinking she has the right to be deemed anything other than a despicable, evil coward.
I hope you both rot.
If anyone sticks up for SS, or brings up lack of funding. Fuck you
29 comments
[removed]
Dragged by her reins through Bradford and nobody does anything? Keep it up society!
Dont give me that BS that people didn’t see shit, thats clear abuse in broad daylight and not one person challenged it. and then they feign ignorance when they wonder why these stories keep on happening,
Utterly heartbreaking, what monsters can repeatedly beat a baby!
Will be interesting to compare the sentence to the other one recently in similar circumstances.
And Frankie Smith, Star’s mum, was guilty of allowing/causing death of a child, and not guilty for murder/manslaughter.
This has been another horrifying case of abhorrent child abuse, made even more unsettling by how recently the trial for Arthur Hughes’ murder was. This was another child loved by their wider family, but had the misfortune of having a fucking useless, piss head parent who let their child be used as a punching bag. Once again, several reports were made by concerned family members to Children’s Services, who were easily brushed off by Frankie and never actually met Star.
I’m glad to see these verdicts, but I’d much rather see social services do their fucking jobs (and be adequately funded to do so) because this number of vulnerable children ending up dead because of their subhuman parents’ terrible relationship choices is awful.
It’s also really uncomfortable the BBC have chosen a picture that shows Star with faded bruising around her eyes.
The Guardian article on this is heartbreaking 🙁
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/14/star-hobson-victim-of-an-immature-mother-and-her-violent-partner
The level of depravity that it takes to repeatedly torture a defenceless child is just beyond comprehension. To allow someone to do that your own child is worse. Neither of the fucks should ever be free. Kind of wish we still had oubliettes.
Christ almighty. What the fuck is wrong with people?
From the Guardian article it sounds like the mother had an intellectual disability. Shouldn’t that alone make the health services and social services support her more to make sure she can handle being a mother? Obviously I am not saying people with intellectual disabilities abuse their children but often they need extra support to ensure they’re doing everything they should be doing. This poor baby was failed by the system so many times.
Guardian website has it in detail, it’s [grim](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/14/star-hobson-victim-of-an-immature-mother-and-her-violent-partner).
>In May 2020, Star’s wider family say, they were told they could no longer see her, on Brockhill’s orders. The catalyst was Smith’s grandmother calling social services after learning Brockhill had been holding Star in a “slam choke”. This wrestling move involved Star being “lifted up by her neck or throat and then thrust on the bed”, the court heard. Challenged by her grandma, Smith said it was to toughen Star up.
>But some family members still managed to see Star. In June, they noticed she had bruises and had changed from being a happy, healthy child to a withdrawn, fearful one who often seemed to be in pain and had lost weight. Late that month, Hobson called social services after seeing pictures of bruises on his daughter’s face, which resulted in a police visit and Star being checked over at the local hospital.
>When friends and family were allowed near the couple, they were alarmed to see the strict regime Brockhill seemed to have instigated for Star. She was deliberately deprived of sleep and was barely a year old when she was forced to spend five minutes or more standing alone facing a wall for the most minor of transgressions – transgressions that she was in any case far too young to understand.
>It was again the couple’s phones that proved beyond reasonable doubt that they had been abusing Star for their own amusement.
>In June 2020, they both filmed Star wobbling in a daze of exhaustion before falling head first off her chair. They found the video hilarious, sending a version to friends edited by Brockhill with a soundtrack and captions added for dramatic effect. Brockhill later told the jury she was inspired by You’ve Been Framed when editing the videos.
> Smith told the jury she did not understand at the time that what she was doing amounted to child abuse. “I loved my Star,” she said, despite them having heard she had previously referred to her daughter as “cunt” and “it”.
> Partway through the trial she said she had seen the light, and pleaded guilty to neglecting Star on at least eight separate occasions in the month up to her death. This included one incident caught on CCTV in Bradford city centre, where she was seen dragging Star along the pavement using her reins.
> She said she did not know that day that Star’s leg was already broken. That fracture was the result of one of 21 blows inflicted on Star by Brockhill a few days earlier when she took her to work at a recycling centre in Doncaster so Smith could go out drinking.
> CCTV captured the relentless abuse, which also resulted in a fractured skull. Brockhill tried to persuade the jury the cameras lied, admitting to slapping Star once on the cheek but nothing worse. She suggested that the fatal blow to Star’s abdomen on 22 September was inflicted not by her, an 11-stone amateur boxer, but one of the other children in the room at a time when she had her back turned. Alternatively, she suggested, perhaps Star simply fell off the sofa.
> Throughout the seven-week trial, Brockhill insisted she too loved Star and was just trying to get her into a “routine”. She told paramedics that Star was “my little girl as well, I brought her up”, and then casually put her coffee cup down on the hospital trolley where Star lay dead. At times during the evidence she cried, wiping away tears with a disposable face mask.
> The day Star was murdered, social services were due to visit Smith – numerous visits were made throughout 2020 as files were opened and shut into Star’s care – but Smith had successfully “fobbed off” the social worker, the court heard, and postponed the meeting.
> Bradford council said a local child safeguarding practice review was ongoing and would be finalised after the trial’s conclusion. Star’s family said they hoped it would explain why social workers did not take steps to keep Star safe despite numerous warnings.
This as horrific as poor Arthur two weeks ago. Jesus Christ.
A genuinely shocking and profoundly disturbing story. I hope the woman understands what she’s done. But I don’t really see how anyone can do that if they’re capable of any form of compassion at all.
Poor sweet baby. Beyond tragic. Rest in peace Star 🕊️
I just can’t. Just…. what the fuck goes on in these people’s minds? I feel trite even saying that; there’s sadly too many overused phrases at the moment for hideous, wicked bastards like this and Arthur’s stepmum and dad.
I look at my pair, who are nearly 5 and just 2, so not dissimilar ages to Arthur and Star, and I just can’t begin to imagine. My eldest, my son, is my complete sunshine. He still has a dummy to sleep because despite being a big active lad, he has always had it as his favourite comfort. My little girl is just now becoming crazily active and as wild (wilder!) than her brother. The pair of them are a force to be reckoned with, and when I have had to be shit mum and remove something or do the telling off or see them get upset because of some apparent parental injustice (like banning blippi because he’s bloody awful), I feel like crap after. Just…. I can’t imagine what goes through a parent’s mind to either allow or carry out the pain and suffering on the little ones most recently in the news.
I hope with all my heart that all four adults recently convicted spend every day of their prison sentences in as much misery as possible. I wish for nothing but their days to be long, painful, and as nasty as they can be while they rot, thinking about what they’ve done to these tiny babies. Let them live out their entire sentences in prison; there should be no ability to allow for appeals / reduction of sentences or early release from something like this.
My nephew is 16 months old, I couldn’t even begin to fathom beating him up or abusing him. For someone to actually murder a child is beyond evil. I hope justice is done.
Yeah I won’t be reading the details of this case, too heartbreaking. I hope those responsible spend the rest of their miserable little lives regretting what they have done.
[deleted]
Absolutely horrifying news, poor Star. She, and every other child deserves so much better. Chuck these evil people in prison for a life term, and if they ever get out, sterilisation should be a condition of their release. May they never know an hour’s peace for the rest of their lives.
If her mother was in the bottom 2% of intelligence (per Guardian article, but am on mobile) how the hell did she have the ability to repeatedly fob off social services?
Social services absolutely dropped the ball 100% – again – on this case. Either they are hiring workers too young and inexperienced to see through lies and ask tough questions or their managers are so terrified of offending someone and getting sued that they’re just taking the excuses of abusers as a tick box “looks ok to me” exercise.
I feel physically sick. I have a young daughter and I cannot fathom the kind of depravity required to break legs and fracture the skulls of children. I shudder to think of the psychological torment she went though near the end.
Poor wee girl. Rest in peace Star.
Once again children’s services were involved shutting and closing cases without actually concluding whether a child is at harm or not.
The children’s services in this country needs to be funded properly and procedures reformed
Four clear chances to pick up on a dangerous situation missed. The child welfare provision needs to be thoroughly overhauled and funded properly if need be. I’m devastated just by looking at the photos, I can’t imagine the pain that those who loved and cherished her are in. Rest in peace little Star.
How could someone do this? I don’t get the mindset behind laughing at a toddler falling downstairs let alone punching one to death. I was the same with Arthur, it just doesn’t compute. I have a two year old little girl so this really hit home. Awful, poor kid.
Reading this with my 3 month old daughter asleep in my arms, I just cannot fathom how anyone could treat a baby like that. Poor poor wee girl, all they want is love and safety and she lived in pain and fear the whole of her short life.
Utterly heartbreaking.
I hope they suffer for the rest of their f* lives in prison, I know they will in the hereafter!
Hopefully she won’t be in GP and won’t be allowed to bully other prisoners.
Sorry I’ve come here to rant and don’t wish to break any rules. Just need to get this off my chest.
What another 2 months from the murder conviction of Arthur to what was once again a couple and child known to social services. We get these two sacks of wasted oxygen who do that to that poor little girl.
Another crime which should bring back the death penalty. A life for a life. Heck bring back in service the tower of London. Drag them through the streets and then hang them until dead.
Heck even that’s mercy in my eyes.
Whats it going to take? Really.
I don’ condone torture. However with this case I would make a exception.
( Sorry just a dad who loves his kids more than my own life)
This story has utterly broken my heart and I can’t stop thinking about it. I just can’t fathom how a human being could treat such a young child like this.
I would never wish anything bad on anyone.
However I can honestly say, I truly hope they both live an incredibly long miserable and painful existence.
I’ve never been more excited to anticipate the upcoming news around how the other prisoners will torture the absolute fuck out of them. I hope she gets to meet an actual psycho instead of thinking she has the right to be deemed anything other than a despicable, evil coward.
I hope you both rot.
If anyone sticks up for SS, or brings up lack of funding. Fuck you