Family of murdered Star Hobson are looking forward to welcoming home the mother who allowed the toddler to die at the hands of her girlfriend… and say SHE is also a victim of the tragedy
- EXCLUSIVE: Star bled to death after being attacked by mother’s girlfriend
- Tragic toddler was one of series of lockdown babies killed despite pleas for help
The grieving family of tragic toddler Star Hobson say they are ready to welcome her mother back home – three years after her girlfriend brutally killed the 16-month-old.
Little Star bled to death after being kicked or punched by Savannah Brockhill with ‘massive’ force at home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in September 2020.
Nightclub bouncer Brockhill, 30, was jailed for a minimum of 25 years after being given a mandatory life sentence for murdering the defenceless toddler in a fit of temper.
And Star’s mother Frankie Smith, 22, was jailed for eight years for causing or allowing the death.
She would have been out next year – but because her jail term was extended she is now only half way through her sentence.
Mr Fawcett says that the pain of Star’s death is still extremely raw within the family – his wife, Smith’s grandmother, still can’t even look at pictures of the smiling toddler
Police released a picture of Star smiling happily before the torment from her mother and her murdering girlfriend began
Police released a harrowing picture of one of the bruises on Star’s face that sparked calls to social services from family
Frankie Smith, 22, mother of 16-month-old Star Hobson pictured together before the girl’s death
Partners in death: Savannah Brockhill, 28 and Frankie Smith, 20, were both convicted over killing Star Hobson
Star Hobson with great grandfather David Fawcett, a postman, who alerted social services about Smith and Brockhill
But now the toddler’s step-great-grandfather David Fawcett, 63 – who the toddler lived with for some of her few months – says he is looking forward to having Smith home with him after visiting her throughout her sentence.
READ MORE: Child victims of lockdown: From Star Hobson to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes… the youngsters killed during the Covid shutdowns despite desperate pleas to social services to intervene
The postman says she is ‘devastated’ in prison, and still refers to the baby she let die as ‘my Star’.
The 63-year-old told MailOnline: ‘There’s only really me who does go to see her. A lot of the family can’t face seeing her.
‘She does phone her mum. But she rings me nearly every day does Frankie because she’s like a daughter to me – we used to get on. We used to do everything together, used to go to all the shows.
‘I’ve always stood by Frankie. I miss what we had with Frankie.
‘We used to do everything together and she was good company. She were a good kid – it’s just a shame she met this wrong person.’
Brockhill never admitted to little Star’s murder – which Mr Fawcett says still haunts him as ‘one of those nagging things’.
Sentencing Smith in December 2021, Judge Mrs Justice Lambert tore a strip off sobbing Smith – whose lawyer had tried to claim was also a victim – telling her that her daughter’s life was ‘marked by neglect, cruelty and injury’.
Three years after her death the toddler has not been forgotten – locals still visit her grave in Baildon and Mr Fawcett says he keeps his great-granddaughter’s grave stocked with flowers
Frankie Smith, 20, and her partner, Savannah Brockhill, 28, killed Smith’s daughter Star Hobson (pictured) at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire
Star Hobson (pictured with Brockhill) suffered a cardiac arrest and died in hospital from appalling injuries inflicted on her
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Ex-pub bouncer Savanna Brockhill shows NO remorse in first jail interview after conviction for sadistically murdering Star Hobson, two, as she tells of her cushy life in prison with woodland view – and vows to APPEAL
The pair were said to have a dark obsession with each other which fueled a life of ‘neglect, cruelty and injury’ for the little girl.
During the seven-week trial the jury heard Star endured months of assaults and psychological harm before suffering ‘utterly catastrophic’ injuries.
Smith was cleared of murder but was convicted of causing or allowing the toddler’s death – an offence with a 14-year maximum prison sentence.
Mr Fawcett says she is ‘ok’ in prison – and is now halfway through her sentance. He claims she has made friends inside who ‘look after her’.
Brockhill – who Mr Fawcett calls ‘the Monster’ – waved and grinned at her family in court.
He says that the pain is still extremely raw within the family – his wife, Smith’s grandmother, still can’t even look at pictures of the smiling toddler.
David continued: ‘I can watch videos of Star and it gives me a bit of a lift. We did a couple of videos and Star was just shaking her head and dancing – I love to look at that.
‘But I feel so sad that Anita can’t look at pictures.
Little Star lived with David Fawcett for some of her few months, before she died at the hands of evil Brockhill
Smith and Brockhill’s explanation of Star’s bruises were accepted by social services after their family repeatedly contacted them for help
READ MORE: Council boss admits social workers dismissed Star Hobson’s worried grandparents as homophobic and anti-gipsy when they raised concerns about the toddler’s mother’s lesbian traveller girlfriend before she beat the child to death
‘On other days I’ll be on my way to work thinking, and it just goes round in your head what poor Star went through and you get really angry about it then.
‘Anita’s not in a good place at all – she’s really finding it hard to cope, to look at pictures of Star. She just gets so upset.
‘Anything to do with life – when it were her birthday and anniversaries and when it’s near Christmas – thing like that it is hard.
‘As Anita says she just wants her back. We just want her back with us.’
The abuse included the toddler being ‘choke-slammed’, being forced to stand facing a wall and being repeatedly punched.
Smith – who has a very low IQ of 70 – was said to have been domineered by her older partner and so enthralled by her she lost interest in her own daughter.
Jurors were shown footage which prosecutors said showed Brockhill delivering 21 blows to Star in a car over three hours, some as the toddler sat in a car seat.
‘I’d been with Frankie since she was born. But things started changing when she started hanging around with this Savannah. That’s when the problems set in.
Despairing great-grandfather David Fawcett repeatedly tried to blow the whistle on the child’s abuse but was fobbed off in a process where complaints from family members was dismissed five times
Innocent Star Hobson was only 16 months old when she was killed in her Keighley home after five social services cases drop
Star’s great-grandparents Anita and David have made a shrine in their front room to always remember her too-short life
The Facebook post from Star’s great-grandfather demanded to know why she had suddenly appeared with bruises
Frankie’s father, Andrew Smith, (left) took his own life after sending his daughter Frankie a letter in jail saying he would look after her murdered daughter Star. Pictured right: Star’s great-grandfather, David Fawcett
‘There was something just not right about her at all. When Frankie got involved with her she just brainwashed her. She would just believe in everything.
TIMELINE OF STAR HOBSON’S SHORT LIFE
Star Hobson was only 16-months-old when she was killed at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Here are some of the key events in her short life:
2019
May 21 – Star Hobson is born
November – Savannah Brockhill and Frankie Smith begin a relationship.
2020
January 23 – Smith’s friend Holly Jones makes the first contact with social services over concerns about domestic violence and how much time she is left looking after Star. Police and social workers visit Star but no concerns are raised.
Early February – Star goes to live with her great-grandparents, David Fawcett and Anita Smith at their home in Baildon, Bradford, after Smith says she has split up with Brockhill.
April 26 – Star is removed from Anita Smith’s house by her mother and taken to live with Smith and Brockhill.
May 4 – Anita Smith contacts social services after she is told about Brockhill ‘slam-choking’ Star.
June – David Fawcett posts a picture of Star with bruises on Facebook alongside a happier shot and with the caption ‘From this to this in five weeks, what’s going on Frankie?’
June 21 – Star’s father, Jordan Hobson, contacts social services. Police take Star for a hospital examination. Smith says her daughter had hit her face on a coffee table.
June 23 – Another friend of the Smith family contacts social services with concerns.
August 14 – David Fawcett and Anita Smith see Frankie and Star for the last time.
August 28 – David Fawcett is sent a video of Star with bruises and confronts Brockhill.
September 2 – Another of Star’s great-grandfathers, Frank Smith, contacts social services after seeing video of bruises on the youngster’s face. Social workers make an unannounced visit.
September 15 – Social services closes the case after concluding the referral to be ‘malicious’.
September 22 – Star is seriously injured at the flat in Wesley Place, Keighley, and dies later in hospital.
2021
December 14 – Following a trial at Bradford Crown Court Brockhill is convicted of Star’s murder while Smith is convicted of causing or allowing the toddler’s death.
‘At the end of the day as well that Monster was jealous of Star. Frankie was probably a victim on this as well because she used to get abused.’
The despairing great-grandparents repeatedly tried to blow the whistle on the child’s abuse but were fobbed off in a process where complaints from their family were dismissed five times – despite warning them Star could be the ‘next Baby P’.
Mr Fawcett previously said he had confronted Brockhill about Star’s bruises and was told ‘all kids get bruises’.
When he questioned how she didn’t get any while living with him he said she hung up the phone so he posted comparison photos of Star with bruises and without on Facebook. Frankie Smith then blocked him after seeing them.
Bradford Council chief executive Kersten England accepted social workers took Smith and Brockhill’s views that the complaints were ‘malicious’ and down to relatives not approving of their same-sex relationship or Brockhill’s traveller background at ‘face value’.
Mr Fawcett – who believes Star’s death could have been prevented if they had been taken seriously – says that seeing other toddlers dying at their family’s hands after the failed intervention of social services is extremely painful.
The drug addict parents of 10-month-old Finley Boden beat him to death on Christmas Day just 39 days after social services put him back in their care.
And five-year-old Logan Mwangi was killed by his stepbrother just five days after courts allowed him move back in with the boy despite threatening to kill him.
He said: ‘It brings it all back when you hear these stories. It just seems to keep on happening.
‘With the social services, if more would have been done this wouldn’t have happened.
‘Savannah Brockhill twisted it and made it out as if we were the bad ones – and they actually believed her. We’re really angry about that.’
Mr Fawcett revealed Star’s death was one of five tragedies that hit the family that year – as he lost his mother, father and Star’s great-grandmother’s sister months after the murder.
And on the 20th birthday of Star’s mother the little girl’s grandfather Andrew Smith died after taking a lethal dose methadone – a heroine substitute.
Shortly before his death, the 50-year-old sent a letter to Smith while she was remanded in custody telling her he would look after her baby.
David said: ‘We were trying to come to terms with what had happened with Star and we had all this on top. It was a very traumatic year.
‘The family got torn apart really.
‘Obviously there’s fallouts with members as well because people have different opinions on what they should have done, we should have done more to help. You’ve got a bit of that as well, so it’s just been difficult.
‘It’s just blown the family apart.’
But years after her death the toddler has not been forgotten – locals still visit her grave in Baildon and Mr Fawcett says he keeps his great-granddaughter’s grave stocked with flowers.
He added: ‘I go down to her resting place three times a week – we get her flowers every Sunday and take them down to her.
‘At the moment with all this rain there’s a lot of mud – it’s like Glastonbury down there because a lot of people go down to see the grave so it does tend to get a bit boggy.
‘I just do the best I can to look after her.’
Heartbreaking rollcall of children who became victims of lockdown
The Covid-19 lockdown has produced a heartbreaking rollcall of children who became victims of tragic deaths at the hands of those who are meant to take care of them.
Two-year-old Lola James was tragically killed by her evil stepfather, suffering 101 injuries including brain damage similar to what is sustained in high-speed car-crashes.
The little girl was victim to a ‘frenized and extremely violent attack’ on July 17, 2020 at her home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, by her mother Sinead James’ new partner Kyle Bevan, 31. She died four days later.
Young Logan Mwangi, five, was killed by his mother, stepfather and stepbrother on July 31, 2020 after suffering ‘catastrophic’ internal injuries. His body was found in the River Ogmore near his home in Sarn, Bridgend County.
Star Hobson was only 16 months old when she was killed at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire on September 22, 2020 by her mother Frankie Smith’s girlfriend Savannah Brockhill, after suffering months of abuse in her home during the Covid lockdown.
10-month-old Finley Boden was murdered by his parents Shannon Marsden and Stephen Boden on Christmas Day 2020. The infant had been taken by social services soon after birth, but was put back into his drug-taking parents’ care 39 days before he died.
A mother and her ‘monster’ boyfriend have been found guilty over the death of two-year-old Lola James (pictured) who was fatally attacked at her home in Wales
Lola James, two – murdered July 17, 2020
Lola James, two
Two-year-old Lola James was tragically killed by her evil stepfather, suffering 101 injuries including brain damage similar to what is sustained in high-speed car-crashes.
Sinead James, 30, moved her partner Kyle Bevan, 31, into the house she shared with little Lola James in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, a day after meeting him on Facebook in February 2020.
Swansea Crown Court heard Bevan, who had a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ temper, carried out a ‘frenzied and extremely violent attack’ on the young girl just four months later, causing 101 bruises and scratches and a catastrophic injury to the brain.
Lola’s mother was a victim of domestic abuse and had twice been educated on how to spot signs of an abuser, but chose to prioritise her relationship with Bevan over the safety of her child, the jury was told – before they convicted her of allowing Lola’s death.
James was told by the local authority not to invite adults into the family home if she did not know them well or if they were alcohol or drug abusers, but she ignored their advice.
Kaylea Titford, 16 – found dead October 10, 2020
Also amongst the victims of lockdown is Kaylea Titford.
Kaylea Titford, 16
The 16-year-old, who suffered from spina bifida, was found dead at her home in Newtown, Powys, on October 10, 2020 after her parents allowed her to become morbidly obese during lockdown.
Her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, admitted manslaughter by gross negligence last year, while her father, Alun Titford, denied the charges and was found guilty after a trial last month.
The teenager weighed 22st 13lb with a BMI of 70 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered inside her bedroom in conditions described as ‘unfit for any animal’.
A jury of eight men and four women convicted Titford after being shown pictures during the trial at Mold Crown Court in North Wales of the ‘squalor and degradation’ Kaylea had been forced to endure.
Alijah Thomas, five – murdered September 14, 2021
Five-year-old Alijah Thomas begged her mother Martina Madarova, 41, not to kill her as she strangled her to death at their home in Ealing, west London, on September 14, 2021.
Alijah Thomas, five
Madarova had put on cartoons for her daughter Alijah Thomas before carrying out the act as the child said: ‘Mummy, don’t kill me.’ She proceeded to strangle Aljah, before ‘tucking her in with a blanket’.
The 41-year-old had been suffering with her mental health and turned to alcohol during the Covid lockdown, and had been in a ‘dark place’ the night before her daughter’s tragic death.
She was given a five-year jail sentence after a judge ruled that she had ‘low responsibility’ over Alijah’s death.
A court heard that in the months leading up to the incident, family members and friends became concerned for Madarova’s wellbeing as she appeared ‘increasingly stressed’.
She was concerned for her income, after her hours as a carer had been reduced, and had become anxious after missing the deadline to enrol Alijah at school.
On the morning of September 14, Alijah’s father had left early for work and was notified a few hours later from a phone call from Madarova that their daughter was dead.
Kyrell Matthews, two – murdered October 20, 2019
Kyrell Matthews, two
Kyrell Matthews, aged two, was left with 41 rib fractures and internal injuries by the time of his death after weeks of cruelty at the hands of his mother Phylesia Shirley and her boyfriend Kemar Brown.
Brown was convicted of murder while Shirley was acquitted of murder but found guilty of the alternative charge of manslaughter.
They appeared alongside each other in the dock as Brown was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison while Shirley was jailed for 13 years.
The toddler, who was non-verbal, could be heard crying and screaming on distressing audio files taken from Shirley’s phone and played to jurors during the trial.
Brown and Shirley are understood to have been visited by social services at least once.
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, murdered June 17, 2020
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, aged six, was murdered by his cruel stepmother Emma Tustin in June.
She was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years and the boy’s father Thomas Hughes was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter.
The boy had been seen by social workers just two months before his death, but they concluded there were no safeguarding concerns.
In October 2019, Aileen Carabine, a special educational coordinator at Arthur’s school, said Arthur ‘deteriorated’ that month.
Hughes, 29, was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years after being found guilty of manslaughter – but cleared of murder – for encouraging the killing, including by sending a text message to Tustin 18 hours before the fatal assault telling her ‘just end him’.
Logan Mwangi, five – murdered July 31, 2020
Logan Mwangi, five
Five-year-old Logan Mwangi was murdered by his mother, step-father and teenage step-brother on July 31, 2021.
His body, which suffered 56 ‘catastrophic’ injuries consistent with a ‘brutal and sustained assault’ was found in the River Ogmore near his home in Sarn, Bridgend county.
John Cole, 40, Angharad Williamson, 31, and 14-year-old Craig Mulligan were all convicted of murder in April 2022.
Cole will serve a minimum of 29 years, Williamson at least 28 years, while teenage Mulligan will serve at least 15 years.
Social services repeatedly missed signs of abuse and opportunities to protect Logan, with injuries dating back to August 2020.
Inspectors have blasted the council which failed to protect murdered five-year-old Logan Mwangi, with the watchdog insisting ‘serious concerns’ remain about its children’s services a full year after his death.
Care Inspectorate Wales noted there have been improvements at Bridgend County Borough Council in the last 12 months, but said there was still a need for ‘further urgent action’.
Star Hobson, 16 months – murdered September 22, 2020
Star Hobson, 16 months
Star Hobson was just 16 months old when she was murdered by her mother’s girlfriend Savannah Brockill in September 2020.
In the lead-up to her death, she had suffered months of abuse in her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.
Former Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield, the chairwoman of the Commission on Young Lives, warned after Star’s murder that the Covid lockdown ‘brought its own opportunities for those who harm, groom and abuse children.’
Brockill is now serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years at HMP Styal in Cheshire, after being convicted in December 2021.
Star’s mother, Frankie Smith, was convicted of causing or allowing the toddler’s death and was initially sentenced to eight years behind bars.
This was increased to 12 years after a judicial review.
Social services missed five opportunities to stop Star’s killers, with her great-grandfather Dave Fawcett saying after their convictions: ‘It’s disgusting because there were five referrals. Not one of them did anything. It’s just beyond belief, really.
Finley Boden, 10 months – murdered December 25, 2020
Finley Boden fatally collapsed on Christmas Day 2020.
The infant was found to have 130 separate injuries at the time of his death, as well as diseases including sepsis and pneumonia.
The injuries included a broken pelvis, broken shoulder, fractured shinbone, fractured collarbones, several fractured ribs and four separate thighbone fractures, as well as 71 bruises and other burns, with his blood, vomit and faeces found on his clothes and body.
Finley Boden, 10 months
Finley was exposed ‘vicious and repeated assaults’ at the family home in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, that culminated in his ‘savage and prolonged’ murder.
His broken pelvis was possibly from sustained ‘kicking or stampin'”, with injuries likened to a multi-storey fall.
He also had two burns on his left hand – one ‘from a hot, flat surface’, the other probably “from a cigarette lighter flame”.
Despite the fact that Finley’s pain ‘would have been obvious’, his parents only gave him Calpol for pain relief and claimed that their son ‘always had crackly ribs’.
His parents Shannon Marsden and Stephen Boden were handed life sentences with respective minimum terms of 27 and 29 years at Derby Crown Court.
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