After lesbian couple Savannah Brockhill and Frankie Smith were found guilty of killing Smith’s 16 months old daughter Star Hobson in Keighley in England, the inaction and ignorance of the police and social services in the months preceding the death has come to the fore. According to reports, the social service workers were so paranoid in acting against the lesbian couple that they cleared them five times and stated that a further ‘referral’ against the couple would be considered an act of ‘malice’ just days before Star Hobson’s death.
Apparently, the social services were first reported on Star’s wellbeing on 27 January 2020 by Hollie Jones, a friend of Frankie Smith. After this, in the following months, several relatives of Frankie Smith raised concerns about the safety of Star Hobson living with the lesbian couple and informed the social services to make an investigation in the matter. Those who made the ‘referrals’ to the social services include Smith’s grandmother Anita Smith who raised an alarm after she came to know that Brockhill had been controlling Star with a wrestling move called a slam choke. Star Hobson’s father Jordan Hobson contacted the social services on June along with other ‘referrals’ from Smith’s sister, Alicia, and Rachel Whiteley who was a friend of Smith’s mother.
However, despite multiple warnings and signs, the social services repeatedly close the case on Star Hobson and believed what was being told by the lesbian couple. Star Hobson’s great grandfather David Fawcett revealed that social services listened to Frankie Smith and Brockhill and dismissed the relatives as ‘troublemakers’ who made the complaints out of disliking towards gypsies or same sex relationships. He said, ‘The lack of response from social services was unbelievable, they did nothing and we dismissed as troublemakers who made the complaint because we didn’t like gypsies or same sex relationships’ adding, ‘They did visit the flat but Savannah Brockhill took over and dismissed us as ‘weirdos’ and trouble makers who hated gypsies and lesbians – and they swallowed it.’
When a social service worker had made an unannounced visit to the house on September 15, Star Hobson had bruises on her face and shins, and was visibly shocked. But the Bradford City Council worker believed Brockhill’s explanation she’d fallen down the stairs.
A total of six people had alerted authorities about the brutal abuse the child was facing from her mother her mother’s lesbian partner, starting with Frankie Smith’s friend Hollie Jones, who had made the first referral in January 2020. After that, Star’s great-grandmother Anita Smith, Star’s father Jordan Hobson, Frankie Smith’s sister Alicia, a friend of Smith’s mother, Rachel Whiteley, and the last referral was made by Smith’s grandfather Frank Smith. Police and social services had visited the house after the referrals but had closed the cases every time.
Notably, Frankie Smith after breaking up with Star’s father Jordan Hobson started living with Savannah Brockhill who was a female bouncer at the Sun pub in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Months later, toddler Star Hobson was murdered with fractures to her shin, ribs and skull. Prosecutor Alistair MacDonald QC stated that the injuries were caused by a severe and forceful blow or blows, ‘either in the form of punching, stamping or kicking to the abdomen’. It was reported that Frankie Smith, biological mother of Star Hobson and her partner Brockhill waited for 15 minutes after Star was injured before calling 999.
That, the social services had ignored the earlier indicaton of injuries on Star Hobson when she had bruises on her cheek and right shin but accepted Frankie Smith and Brockhill’s story that she had fallen down the stairs and that those marks were ‘all kids get bruises’. Though it is being said that these cruel women had used their sexuality as a weapon against the West Yorkshire police and social services, Star Hobson’s death was a tragedy that could have been avoided.
Star Hobson died on 22 September, following a fatal punch by Savannah Brockhill. The punch had damaged Star’s internal organs and caused deadly internal bleeding, the judge convicting the lesbian couple said. After a quick seven-week trial, Brockhill was convicted of murder and sentenced to jail for a minimum of 25 years. Star’s mother Frankie Smith was sentenced to eight years for causing or allowing Star’s death. However, the sentences have been deemed as too lenient, specifically for Smith, and the Attorney General has been asked to review the sentences.
