Laura Wilson murder: Rotherham children's board reports

Laura Wilson was involved in "a very complex situation", said the Safeguarding Children Board

Social care agencies missed "numerous" chances to support a teenage mother who was later murdered by her 17-year-old boyfriend, a report has said.

Laura Wilson, 17, was murdered by Ashtiaq Asghar in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in October 2010.

A serious case review said she had been involved with 15 different services at one time or another.

Social services managers said her care could have been better, but her death could not have been prevented.

Alan Hazell, chair of the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board, said: "There is no suggestion that anyone could have saved (Laura) from what ultimately happened to her but clearly her care could have been improved."

Asghar, of Holmes Lane, Holmes, Rotherham, lured Laura to the canal side near the Meadowhall Shopping Centre and attacked her with a knife.

He stabbed her a number of times in the head but she was still alive when she was left in the water.

'Troubled life'

The review detailed her troubled life and said: "There were numerous missed opportunities to work with and protect (Laura) and (her baby).

"Assessments of (Laura) did not lead to an effective plan of care which resulted in a lack of leadership, coordination and progress and a failure to recognise her real level of vulnerability."

It said there was a picture of "mixed performance" in meeting the needs of Laura and her child.

"A combination of factors, including organisational, systems, workforce, cultural factors and individual deficient practice impacted on the care provided for (Laura)," it said.

The report went on: "However, there are areas of considerable concern. Of significance is that the care of (Laura) did not focus on her and her needs.

"She was almost invisible to some services."

'Sexual targets'

Rotherham Safeguarding Children's Board said it had already acted on many of the recommendations made to ensure lessons were learned from Laura's murder.

Asghar had a relationship with Laura, who had a four-month-old daughter with his friend Ishaq Hussain.

He killed the teenager just days after she revealed her affairs with the two men to their families.

The judge at the trial, Lord Justice Davis, said he believed Asghar treated white girls as "sexual targets" and not like human beings as he sentenced him at Sheffield Crown Court last December.

Asghar was jailed last December for at least 17 and a half years after he admitted murdering Laura.