Teddie Mitchell: Baby murderer's ex warned police he would kill

Teddie's injuries would have had him "screaming in pain", the trial had heard

The former partner of a man who murdered a 12-week-old baby said she warned police "if you do not stop him" he would kill a woman or child.

Kane Mitchell killed his then partner's son Teddie at the flat they shared in St Neots, Cambridgeshire in 2019.

A previous partner of Mitchell's told the BBC she "tried so hard to tell everybody what he was like, they just didn't take it seriously".

A child safeguarding practice review into Teddie's death is ongoing.

In February 2021 Mitchell was jailed for a minimum of 18 years after being found guilty of murder, while the boy's mother Lucci Smith was sentenced for cruelty to a child.

Kane Mitchell and Lucci Smith raised Teddie as if Mitchell was the father

Mitchell, who was not Teddie's father but was raising him, assaulted the boy on 1 November 2019.

Teddie died in hospital 10 days later and was found to have suffered 17 rib fractures, fractures to his right collarbone, a fatal skull fracture, and brain, spinal and eye injuries.

The trial was told of numerous interactions between the family and the authorities, including after a fight between Smith and Mitchell in September 2019 when a social worker raised the issue of domestic violence with Smith while her partner was in the flat.

A month before Teddie was born Smith received a letter from social services following an anonymous tip-off.

Around this time a multi-agency safeguarding hub report was made, but social services in Cambridgeshire reviewed the case and felt no further action was required.

The killer's former partner Olivia (not her real name), has told the BBC she was abused by Mitchell and that the police came to the house "26 or 27 times".

"They had pictures, videos - my face was all bruised, my lips. I had bruises all over my cheeks, handprints round my throat and they had all that evidence and nothing was done, nothing," she said.

She said on one occasion Mitchell tipped hot curry over her head after going "ballistic" when a bit of rice went over him during a food fight.

Olivia said: "I told the police if you do not stop him he's going end up killing me... or a woman or a child. I told the police that's what he'll do and I meant it. It's got now to a baby dying because they didn't listen.

"I tried so hard to tell everybody what he was like, they just didn't take it seriously - they didn't do enough, and now a poor baby has died, and I know in my heart I did everything I could."

Teddie Mitchell's mother called him a "perfect little baby" but was convicted of cruelty to a child

She said that social services also told her Mitchell "wasn't allowed around my children".

"If he wasn't allowed around my children, then why would he be allowed around anyone else's children? If he was violent towards me, why wouldn't he be a risk to other women?," she said.

"I'm upset that a poor baby had to die for him [Mitchell] to be where he is. I'm upset that my children had to go through what they went through, their lives destroyed, for that to happen. They weren't listened to. I wasn't listened to."

The BBC understands the local child safeguarding practice review was originally due to be published in January - the same month a Channel 4 documentary on Teddie's murder was broadcast.

However, the review has still not been made public and there remains no confirmed date for this.

A review into Teddie's death is still ongoing

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board said the report, written by an independent author, would be published "imminently".

A spokesperson said the board "felt it essential to allow sufficient time to gain accounts from relevant parties including family members".

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said it welcomed the review, adding: "It is essential that lessons are learned.

"Until the review is published it would not be appropriate for the council to comment on or anticipate the findings of the report.

"We continue to improve our safeguarding best practice and all of us who have a role in protecting our children do so with absolute dedication to their safety and wellbeing. We will take on board any actions and recommendations made in the review."

Cambridgeshire Police said it had "fully supported" the ongoing review.

The force added: "We will, of course, take on board and action any learnings which come from the review. This forms a part of our continual review processes which strives to embed learning and best practice from local and national reviews.

"As the review has yet to be published, it is not appropriate for us to pre-empt the findings and recommendations."