Star Hobson: Inquest into murdered toddler's death concludes

Star Hobson suffered a cardiac arrest and died on 22 September 2020

A coroner has concluded inquest proceedings into the death of murdered toddler Star Hobson.

Star, from Keighley, died in September 2020 after enduring months of abuse at the hands of her mother, Frankie Smith, and her partner, Savannah Brockhill.

Both were convicted in relation to her death after a seven-week trial.

On Monday, senior coroner Martin Fleming ended proceedings, saying he was "satisfied there has been a sufficient level of public scrutiny".

He told the hearing the findings of a national review and an inquiry into the police's handling of the case had both been shared with Star's family.

Savannah Brockhill (left) and Frankie Smith were convicted after a trial in 2021

During the trial, jurors heard Star had been subjected to a campaign of abuse by Brockhill and Smith.

Brockhill was sentenced to life in jail, with a minimum term of 25 years, after being convicted of murder, while Smith was jailed for eight years - later increased to 12 on appeal - for causing or allowing her daughter's death.

The court was told, despite inflicting months of "neglect, cruelty and injury" on the 16-month-old, the couple managed to fend off police and social workers despite five referrals from concerned family members.

A national review into the toddler's death found assessment visits were "superficial" and meant professionals had only a "limited understanding of what daily life was like for Star".

Several recommendations were made, including more joined-up information gathering by different agencies and a greater emphasis given to information from friends and members of children's wider families.