Parents jailed for torturing disabled girl

'Miracle' that daughter, 4, survived horrific violence

· Echoes of Climbie case sparks calls for inquiry

Child protection charities last night called for a public inquiry into how a disabled four-year old was returned to her natural parents who went on to subject her to a sustained campaign of torture that could have killed her. In disturbing echoes of the Victoria Climbie case five years ago, the little girl was the victim of horrific abuse that left her "scarred for life".

The girl's parents, Kimberly Harte, 23, and Samuel Duncan, 27, were jailed for a total of 22 years yesterday by a judge who expressed concern over social workers' handling of the case. One charity said that failure to learn lessons after the Climbie inquiry had led to a "gross failure" to protect her.

Harte and Duncan had poured boiling water on their daughter's hands, tore clumps of hair from her head and kicked her repeatedly in the groin, causing horrendous bruises and liver damage. The girl, who has cerebral palsy, was also forced to sleep naked in a dark toilet and eat her own faeces.

The girl had been removed from her natural parents amid concerns that their relationship was violent. But in January 2005 it was decided that it was safe for her to go back home. The systematic abuse took place within weeks of her return.

Harte was jailed for 11-and-a-half years and her partner for 10-and-a-half years for a string of charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent between February 1 and March 18 2006.

They had earlier admitted child cruelty for neglecting to get medical help for her injuries.

The girl, who can only be identified as Child B, had been described as a "happy, sunny" girl, who loved to sing and dance. But after the abuse she became frightened, withdrawn and unable to walk. She was in almost constant agony until her grandmother began to suspect what was going on and called in social services.

They, together with police, arrived just in time. She had suffered such horrific injuries that she would almost certainly have died without treatment and was in such pain she had to be examined under general anaesthetic. A paediatric registrar described her injuries as the worst abuse he had ever seen.

Mor Dioum, director of the Victoria Climbie Foundation UK, described it as an avoidable tragedy.

He said that despite no fewer than 20 visits to the family home by social services and various health professionals, the child's suffering continued and on five of those occasions, they accepted being told the child was out with her father.

He said it was a miracle she had survived.

Michelle Elliot, of child protection charity Kidscape, said social workers should not have accepted the parents' claims that the child was out. She said: "It is pathetic they accepted such excuses. I know they are in a difficult position but common sense should tell you they were hiding something, which they were."

A 53-page serious case review by Westminster council's Local Safeguarding Children Board has acknowledged failings, including saying that staff "too readily" accepted injuries as accidents. But it concluded that social workers "could not have foreseen the injuries she sustained".

A statement from the Board said: "The independent report concluded that the child's injuries could not have been predicted, nor could they be attributed to individual professional errors or to poor practice.

"Contrary to reports in the media this is not another Victoria Climbie case. Westminster council and partner agencies have been working with the family for a long time."

Mental scars

At Middlesex Guildhall crown court yesterday, Judge Paul Worsley QC, told the couple that their daughter may never recover. He said: "The physical scars may well heal in time, but I doubt the mental scars ever will."

He said Duncan took the lead in much of the violence but told Harte the jury's verdicts made it clear that those trying her had rejected claims that she was under the control of her partner, and she was solely responsible for the scalding incident.

Afterwards the judge added: "I have anxieties about the way this child was returned to her parents against the express wishes of her foster carers. Westminster city council's department of social services has provided me with a serious case review executive summary. It acknowledges failures and makes recommendations. Its reading inspires hope for the future."

Seconds before they were led to the cells, someone in the public gallery screamed out, apparently at Duncan: "You bastard, rot in hell ... What have you done to this poor girl?"

Detective Sergeant Antony Smith from the child abuse investigation unit said: "Before the little girl lived with Harte and Duncan we are told that she was a cheerful happy child who was coping with her disabilities. By the time she was taken to hospital and I met her for the first time she was in obvious pain, withdrawn and frightened."

He added: "She is a wonderful child and is doing far better now, I can only hope, now that they are out of her life, she will have the opportunity to grow both physically and emotionally to her full potential."