Sunday 25 May 2008

Victoria Climbie

Victoria Adjo Climbie B 2/11/1991 D 20/2/2000.

Victoria was sent to this country from the Ivory Coast in the hope of a better life, but within a year and a half of the picture being taken she was dead, the victim of horrendous physical abuse. Victoria died as the result of the neglect and the vicious beatings meted out by her great aunt, Marie Therese Kouao, and her boyfriend Carl Manning. But she was also failed by social workers and others who could have stepped in to protect her.

One social worker claimed she was afraid to enter the flat (home of Victoria) as she felt she may catch scabies. Victoria died of hypothermia on the 20th February 2000. She had 128 injuries. Victoria was fed food of a piece of plastic whilst she was tied up in a plastic bag full of faeces in the bath. Victoria was made to eat the food of the plastic like a dog.

The Home Office pathologist who examined her body, Doctor Nathaniel Cary, says it was the worst case of abuse he has seen in his career. "This poor little girl had scars all over her body, on the head, on the trunk, front and back, and on all four limbs. "And many of the scars suggest they'd been due to weapon-type injuries so you can see from the nature and the extent of injuries why this would be the worst case I've encountered."

Victoria - called Anna by her killers - was forced to live in a freezing bath in her own excrement. Her hands and feet were bound and she was naked except for a bin liner. Manning has admitted hitting her over the head with a bicycle chain. She was also regularly beaten with weapons including a belt buckle, hammer and wire. Victoria's blood was found in the hall, bedsitting room and bathroom of the cramped flat where the three lived in Tottenham in North London. In his diary, Manning describes Victoria as Satan and says that no matter how hard he hit her she didn't cry or show signs that she was hurt. Kouao viewed the child as a useful tool for claiming benefits.

Victoria was first taken to hospital on 14 July 1999. Avril Cameron, the daughter of the childminder caring for the little girl whilst Kouao worked, was horrified to see cuts and bruises on Victoria's hands and legs, as well as what looked like cigarette burns. Victoria was placed under a 72-hour protection order preventing a furious Kouao from removing her from the hospital. But Dr Ruby Schwartz, the consultant paediatrician at the hospital, diagnosed the skin complaint scabies and Anna was allowed to return to the flat in Tottenham. Ten days later Victoria was taken to the North Middlesex hospital with severe scalding to her head. Kouao claimed the little girl had poured boiling water over herself to stop the itching caused by the scabies, but the hospital found no evidence of the disease. From then on, Kouao kept Victoria away from hospitals turning instead to churches. Kouao, claiming to be Victoria's mother, said the child had demons inside her which were making her incontinent.

RIP Victoria your safe from harm now. You have lots of other special little angels to play with.

No comments: