Sentenced: Police And Social Services Were Alerted 60 Times Before Alfie Steele Was Murdered

[Sugar Cookie]

Police and social services were called more than 60 times over concerns about a nine-year-old boy murdered by his mother and her partner, it has emerged.

A review of social services and police contact with Alfie Steele, of Droitwich, Worcestershire, published on Friday, found that he was classed as “safe and well” after home visits.

Alfie died in February 2021 after his head was repeatedly held underwater in a bath, following months of “sadistic” cruelty and “torture” which left him with more than 50 injuries.

A trial at Coventry Crown Court was told that 999 calls made by neighbours in April, May and August 2020 had supplied details of Alfie’s ordeal, including a call saying it sounded like he was “being hit and held under the water”.

Alfie’s mother, Carla Scott, 35, was jailed in June last year for 27 years for manslaughter, and her partner, Dirk Howell, 41, was ordered to serve life with a minimum term of 32 years for murder.

A Child Safeguarding Practice Review by the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership (WSCP), highlighted a string of errors and missed opportunities from professionals.

It said that they were involved with the family “over an extended period of time” but had placed too much reliance on Alfie himself to share “concerns and evidence that he was being abused and harmed”.

“He was consistently asked if he had any worries, whether he liked Dirk Howell and what had happened in the context of allegations of abuse and aggression,” the review said.

It found that the professionals who worked with Alfie were hard-working, showed care and commitment to him and the family, but were “often hampered by two adults who sought to deliberately lie, mislead and cover up what was happening”.

The review made eight recommendations to agencies including the WSCP and the Probation Service, including a call for practitioners to be provided with guidance to strengthen child protection plans by supporting family members and neighbours who report concerns.

It comes as a BBC investigation found that 64 referrals had been made to police and social services regarding Alfie’s treatment.

Freedom of Information requests by the broadcaster found that Worcestershire County Council was contacted 36 times between 2018 and 2020 by people concerned about Alfie’s welfare.

West Mercia Police was contacted 28 times during the same three years.

Alfie had been subject to a child protection plan for neglect in 2018. By August 2019, family and neighbours were raising concerns about Howell’s extensive criminal history, drug use and aggression, prompting a safeguarding strategy discussion, the 23-page review said.

It added: “From the start of the review period, there was concern about Dirk Howell and his history of violence and criminality.

“He was subject to bail conditions in relation to a burglary where firearms had been stolen in August 2019.”

Between May 2019 and January 2020, Howell was subject to post-release supervision by the Probation Service, but the service was unaware he had threatened neighbours with reprisals for reporting concerns about Alfie, a “clear breach” of his supervision requirements.

The review said that there were six known incidents raised with the police or children’s services relating to neighbours or school staff concerns about physical abuse or Howell’s “harsh and cruel practices to Alfie”.

“Each incident would be followed up by a police or social worker visit,” the report said. “There was inconsistency when Alfie was spoken to, made complicated by his age and on some occasions the lateness in the day of the visit.

“Too often he was described as ‘safe and well’ when he had not been spoken to.

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Police and social services were alerted 60 times before Alfie Steele was murdered

Police and social services were called more than 60 times over concerns about a nine-year-old boy murdered by his mother and her partner, it has emerged.

news.yahoo.com

 

[cubby]

It seems the UK services are not much different from ours. Even, I know, you don't ask the kid in front of the people who you suspect are abusing him, what's he gonna say while they are staring daggers at him?

 

[Sugar Cookie]

What a handsome young man he was - Rest in Peace Alfie

 

[knockout]

As bad as our services are, we would not ignore 60 calls including calls to police and to ask the kid if he felt safe, probably in front of the abusers and take that as proof he's ok is fucken nuts. As usual everyone should be fired starting at the top, but they do some bullshit investigation and everyone gets their raises and bonuses like nothing's wrong

 

[Josh P]

The police spin on this will be they are the victims.

 

[Freyja]

These people shit the bed hard and still got huge paychecks for it while this child suffered! There's an old saying my husband taught me a while back "You fuck up, you move up!"