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The Sun Friday 10th

"DAD SNAPPED HIS TOT'S SPINE IN TWO"

"A killer put his tiny girl through months of hell before finally breaking her back in two, a court heard yesterday.

Father James Howson snapped daughter Amy's spine over his knee or the back of a chair, it was claimed.

The 16-month-old died hours later. A post mortem found more than 40 injuries- some dating back at least eight weeks - including 7 other fractures.

Howsen, 25, had allegedly previously broken her leg and arm by twisting them - yet no medical help was ever sought. And when the neglected tot died she weighed the same as she did ten months earlier.

Prosecutor Gary Burrell QC said Howson *snapped her back in two at waist level, as though he held her over his knee or thigh or possibly a chair or sofa back with her back downwards.* He went on: "He then used extreme force on her body so as to hyperextend the back and cause a complete break at the level of the first lumbar verttebra".

Amy had also suffered a wound to her forehead and had bleeding to the brain.

She had previously suffered three fractures to her left leg, two to her right arm, one to her left arm and a broken rib plus bruising and abrasions to her chest, legs, head and back.

Mr Burrell said "she would have been unable to move without severe discomfort. There was evidence of deprivation of food and water."

Amy was found dead at home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England on December 23rd but Leeds Crown Court heard the attack may have taken place the previous night.

Amy was born in August 2006 but was last seen by health workers in March 2007. They said her parents missed appointments and there was no answer at their house.

The jury was told that Howson had been looking after Amy because her mum Tina Hunt, 26, was expecting their second child and suffering morning sickness.

When arrested, Howson claimed the family's Staffordshire Bull Terrier may have caused some of the injuries, and that Amy had fallen out of bed the night before she died. Howson denies murder and cruelty.

Hunt admits allowing a child's death and cruelty by not seeking medical attention. She will be sentenced at the end of the trial, which continue's".

Am i the only one who believes that the appointed Social workers who allowed them to miss appointments and not answer their door, should be in the dock also?

Everyone who had anything to do with this babies case should be fired immediately, then thrown in jail. The father should have the same thing done to him, let the monster see how it feels. Unbelivable pain this child must have suffered over, and over again at the hands of her father. :-1

CARLA;1015340 wrote: Everyone who had anything to do with this babies case should be fired immediately, then thrown in jail. The father should have the same thing done to him, let the monster see how it feels. Unbelivable pain this child must have suffered over, and over again at the hands of her father. :-1


Absolutely. this sadly is not an isolated case. Our Social Serices are very quick to hide when this sort of thing comes to light. Shame of you.

I think it's a job with a hell of alot to answer for -- and they should answer for it.

Also, i can not understand any mother watching this being done to her child. I'm sorry but i'd have killed him the moment he raised a finger to my child and then thrown myself on the mercy of the courts.

Our social services of this kind was investigated in the last 5 years for similar things. Specifically, this had to do with children in the foster care system who are put in homes where the foster parents abuse the kids.

Unfortunately, this sort of thing was common until something serious happened, then it was investigated and new laws/regulations made to attempt to avoid this in the future.

What's more unfortunate is that something dreadful has to happen before anything is done. That's the worst part in my opinion.

Both parents should do prison time. The abuse had been going on for weeks and I can't imagine a mother not knowing this was going on. The unborn child should be taken too.

devist8me;1015372 wrote: Our social services of this kind was investigated in the last 5 years for similar things. Specifically, this had to do with children in the foster care system who are put in homes where the foster parents abuse the kids.

Unfortunately, this sort of thing was common until something serious happened, then it was investigated and new laws/regulations made to attempt to avoid this in the future.

What's more unfortunate is that something dreadful has to happen before anything is done. That's the worst part in my opinion.

Both parents should do prison time. The abuse had been going on for weeks and I can't imagine a mother not knowing this was going on. The unborn child should be taken too.


Absolutely right. The baby must be taken the moment he/she is born.

The appointed Social health care workers should face charges of neglect at the very least. It's simply just not good enough to say "they didn't answer the door", "They missed appointments".

oscar;1015335 wrote: Am i the only one who believes that the appointed Social workers who allowed them to miss appointments and not answer their door, should be in the dock also?


YES! Getting fired for not doing their job just doesn't seem enough to me.

I feel wholeheartedly the same as Carla about the way the father should be punished. And I know some mothers who would be very ept for the purpose. And where was her mother? She must have known what weas going on.

As for Social Services - I don't really know. There are too many laws and regulations that impede their every step. Just the same, children, especially as young as this one, are utterly defenseless.

Maybe my creed says that I am supposed to show compassion to evryone. But I would love to take an iron cricket bat to this guy.

We have a case going on in Philadelphia where both parents, caseworkers, etc. have all been charged with neglect and involuntary murder. And then to the gall of everybody in the city, the parents go and file a lawsuit charging the city with neglect of their daughter. This poor child lived in a house that was unfit for human habitation in a wheelchair and locked in her room. When she was discovered dead, she was covered in feces and maggots.

This so sad. This thread makes me despair.:-1

OpenMind;1015427 wrote: This so sad. This thread makes me despair.:-1


Why??

oscar;1015451 wrote: Why??


You are taking the p*ss.

OpenMind;1015460 wrote: You are taking the p*ss.


Not intentional to irate you.

I was interested if you feel that social services should have stepped in sooner and prevented this? -- Blame there-fore lying at their feet, or weather this man is just evil?

oscar;1015505 wrote: Not intentional to irate you.



I was interested if you feel that social services should have stepped in sooner and prevented this? -- Blame there-fore lying at their feet, or weather this man is just evil?


My despair is for the children who are suffering, whoever's to blame. It was an emotional upsurge within me at the time I posted it.