Heidi Luise Koseda

Time and time again we hear of the tragic and brutal loss of a young defenceless child. I have created this blog to remember those young children, they are often forgotten. These vulnerable children have been cruely let down by not just the parents/carers who they were entrusted to, but by the Child Welfare System in place in this country.I call for the radical reform of our countrys Child Welfare System and the laws in place to protect children from neglect and abuse. Too many times have the words "Lesson's will be learnt" been spoken.I will start my blog with the sad story of Heidi Koseda, why? because she is close to my heart.Heidi Koseda would have been celebrated her 28th birthday on saturday gone, but due to horrific parental neglect and abuse and the appalling failings of Health Workers, Social Services and the Police her life was cut short.Heidi Koseda was born on the 16th February 1980 it is thought she died during the month of November or December 1984, a precise date of her death cannot be given for reasons which will become evident in the story of her sad life.For the first two years of Heidi’s life she lived with her mother and natural father, Rosemary and Henry Koseda. These first two years of Heidi’s life were thought to have been normal and uneventful until her parents relationship broke down and they separated in October 1982. Henry koseda never saw his daughter alive again.Soon after the departure of Henry Koseda another man moved in, Nicholas Price, Koseda and Price had known each other from when they were at school. Price was said to have dominated Koseda from the offset, according to Koseda’s mother Mrs Rickard, who stated that Koseda’s mental health deteriorated rapidly.In 1983 Koseda gave birth to a son, James, the father being Price. During Koseda’s confinement in hospital the staff found Price to be unusually disturbed. Koseda failed to take Heidi to her 3 year check up this resulted in eight visits being made by Health Visitors to try to persuade her to attend the check up. The last time Heidi was seen alive by medical staff was on the 5th January when she accompanied her mother and half brother for his infant immunisation.Mrs Rickard (Heidi’s grandmother) last saw Heidi during Christmas 1983 and at the end of this visit it was noticed that Heidi did not want to return home to her mother and step father. Mrs Rickard was supporting the family financially at the time; during the new year of 1984 she withdrew her financial support. The result of this financial withdrawal was that Price refused Heidi and her grandmother any further contact. Mrs Rickard never saw her granddaughter alive again.In March 1984 Koseda fell pregnant again; the family withdrew all contact with family members from either side and became isolated in their flat. Koseda refused any medical help with the pregnancy. Health Visitors tried calling and left a card, the card was returned with “not known” written across it. The Health Visitors wrongly assumed that the family had moved away.Between January 1984 and July 1984 Heidi was only seen by outsiders who were neighbours in the block of flats where they lived. Heidi was seen frequently playing with another little girl, witnesses later claimed that Heidi was always hungry and had many bruises to her arms and legs.New neighbours moved in below the family in August 1984 and they stated that they never saw Heidi; they also stated that they heard persistent banging and crashing all evening into the early hours followed by screaming and crying.The neighbour called the NSPCC on the 3rd September to voice her concerns. On the 10th September a health visitor called at the flat and was told that Heidi was sleeping, she did not attempt to see the child. During September the health visitor attempted to make three more visits which were unsuccessful. In October the family were allocated a new health visitor, this health visitor was wrongly told that the family had moved away this resulted in their records being returned to the Health Authority HQ.The nightly banging and crying continued the neighbour again called the NSPCC on the 10th October, followed by a second and third call in November. A Social Services Officer made an unsuccessful call to the flat; he then falsified his records to reflect that a successful visit had been made. He was later sacked for his actions.On the 6th December two midwives called at the flat after reports that Koseda had given birth. The family, except Heidi, were asleep in the living area, there was no heating or lighting in the flat. James (18 months) was dressed in only a vest and no other clothes could be found for him. Koseda and Price stated that Heidi was staying with friends in Hounslow. Koseda and Lisa Price were discharged from hospital 5 days later.Between the 11th – 13th of December the community midwife visited the flat 5 times unsuccessfully. Mrs Rickard attempted a visit and was also unsuccessful. Between the 17th – 20th December more attempts were made by health visitors, again unsuccessful.On the 21st December a health visitor passed the case to Social Services. On the 24th December a health visiting senior nurse spoke with Price on the doorstep of the flat. Price told the nurse that Koseda was out with the children, the nurse then made an appointment for a health visitor to call on the 27th of December. 27th December call made by health visitor unsuccessfulA warrant was then made for a police inspector, wpc and health visitor to enter the flat. On entering the flat they found James and Lisa apparently clean and healthy. Koseda and Price claimed that Heidi was staying with friends in Hounslow. They also told the officials that no-one could enter the bedroom as it had been treated with anti-damp chemicals and it would be unsafe. Since the warrant only applied to Lisa the officials left.On New Years Eve the allocated social worker visited the flat and found all was well, she claimed that Koseda and Price were pleasant and co-operative, and a case conference was allocated for the 22nd January 1985. The social worker visited again on the 2nd and 7th of January and noticed bruising on James. Koseda and Price explained the bruises away with what she thought were plausible explanations.The health visitor called on the 3rd of January and became concerned about the explanations given regarding Heidi’s whereabouts.On the 15th January the health visitor called again and again became concerned as Koseda avoided answering questions regarding Heidi’s whereabouts.On the 22nd January the neighbour again voiced her concerns.During the case conference on the 22nd of January it was decided to place the children’s names on the at risk register.On the 23rd of January 1984 Price was asked by police about the whereabouts of Heidi then they arrested him on suspicion of murder, police searched the flat in Woolacombe Way and found Heidi’s decomposing body in a cupboard. It was impossible for pathologists to say when exactly Heidi died but it was thought that she had been dead for at least 2 to 3 weeks but more likely 6 to 8 weeks which would put her death at early December.Price claimed during his trial that he had stopped feeding Heidi due to her greediness’ for sweets in August 1984, he claimed that she then refused to eat food and drink which resulted in her dying in early November. The prosecution alleged that Heidi was placed in the bedroom for at least 2 weeks without food and water, the bedroom was secured by a broom handle. Heidi had eaten strips of wall paper in a desperate attempt to feed herself.Price was jailed for life, Koseda was committed to a mental hospital the two remaining children placed in care and made wards of court. It is horrifying to think that Heidi may well have still been alive during the visits made by social workers, health visitors and police on the 6th of December and the 27th of December. They allowed themselves to be deterred from entering the bedroom.Please spare a thought today for a life so cruelly and needlessly lost due to inadequacies of our current officials whose’ job is to protect vulnerable children and her cruel, sick and twisted carers, Rosemary Koseda and Nicholas Price.