September 21st, 2009 by Lianne

In 2007, a four year old girl from Maida Vale, London, was severely abused by her parents: Kimberley Harte and Samuel Duncan.

This abuse included boiling water being drained over her, her hair being ripped out, beatings, forced to eat her own faeces and forced to take cold baths. This could all have been prevented if the social services decided against sending her back to her parents, which her foster parents were convinced would be a bad idea. Secondly, social working staff accepted the injuries were simply accidents and when she was ‘missing’ they accepted the idea that she was out with her father.