Khyra judge slates welfare services

Feb 25 2010

A High Court judge concluded that "in all probability" Khyra Ishaq would not have died if there had been "an adequate initial assessment and proper adherence by the educational welfare services to its guidance", it can now be reported.

The ruling of Mrs Justice King was released after the child's mother, who starved her seven-year-old daughter to death, was cleared of murder after prosecutors accepted her defence of diminished responsibility.

Angela Gordon, who admitted the manslaughter of Khyra two weeks ago, was formally found not guilty of murder by jurors at Birmingham Crown Court on the orders of trial judge Mr Justice Roderick Evans.

The decision by the Crown to accept Gordon's plea to the lesser charge came after she admitted five counts of child cruelty and psychiatrists agreed that she was suffering from severe depression when Khyra died in May 2008.

In her ruling of March last year, relating to care proceedings, Mrs Justice King said: "It is beyond belief that, in 2008, in a bustling, energetic and modern city like Birmingham, a child of seven was withdrawn from school and thereafter kept in squalid conditions for a period of five months before finally dying of starvation."

A senior council official apologised for the fact that social services did not save Khyra from starving.

Tony Howell, Birmingham City Council's strategic director for children, young people and families, rejected calls for his resignation: "It has caused a great deal of hard reflection among all the agencies in the city who have a responsibility to protect vulnerable children."

Mr Howell, who insisted that improvements had been made to Birmingham's children's social services since the death of Khyra, said he was thankful that those directly responsible for her death had been convicted.

Asked during the press conference if he felt he should relinquish his post, Mr Howell replied: "We have been working on improving children's social care for over a year now, working closely alongside Government.

"Improvements have been made. There would be no purpose served simply by resigning."