Murder of Jennifer Daugherty

Jennifer Lee Daugherty was an American woman who was murdered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania in February 2010. Daugherty, who was mentally disabled, was tortured and murdered before being wrapped in Christmas decorations, put inside a garbage can and dumped in the parking lot of Greensburg-Salem Middle School. Murder: During torture and abuse sessions, which lasted for 36 hours, Daugherty's attackers tied her up, forced her to consume feces, urine and detergent; beat her with a towel rack, a vacuum cleaner hose, and a crutch; shaved her head; painted her face with nail polish; forced her to write a fake suicide note; and then stabbed her to death. Six suspects were charged with criminal homicide, kidnapping and other counts related to her death: -Robert Loren Masters, Jr., age 36 -Ricky Smyrnes, 23 -Melvin Knight, 20 -Peggy Darlene Miller, 27 -Amber Meidinger, 20 -Angela Marinucci, 17. According to her relatives, Daugherty had the mental abilities of a 12- to 14-year-old, she trusted everyone, and she had thought that the suspects were her "friends". Former Allegheny County Coroner Cyril H. Wecht, who has conducted and reviewed thousands of autopsies of homicide victims, stated, "... This is one of the most horrific cases I have seen... You have one young, defenseless woman, six people who are keeping her captive and doing all of these things, knowing she is [mentally challenged]. Put it all together, it is bizarre, it is extreme barbarism." Trials: As of November 3, 2010, the prosecution was seeking the death penalty for Smyrnes, Knight and Meidinger. On August 3, 2011, Angela Marinucci was formally given a mandatory life sentence without possibility of parole after being found guilty in May of first degree murder. As she was 17 at the time of the crime, she was ineligible for the death penalty. On April 12, 2012, Melvin Knight of Greensburg, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty to first- and second-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping. On August 30, 2012, a jury deliberated several hours before voting to put Knight to death. On February 28, 2013, Ricky Smyrnes was sentenced to death. On December 4, 2013, Amber Meidinger, of Greensburg, was sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy. The final two suspects, Robert Masters Jr. and Peggy Miller, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping on December 19, 2013. Masters was sentenced to 30 to 70 years, and Miller was sentenced to 35 to 74 years.

clean my glasses

i've gotta clean my glasses a lot. it's disgusting a lot.

Disappearance of Amy Fitzpatrick

The disappearance of Amy Fitzpatrick occurred on New Year's Day 2008. At 10pm on that day, 15-year-old Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick said goodbye to friend Ashley Rose, with whom she had been babysitting Ashley's brother at her friend's house in Mijas Costa in Málaga, Spain. Fitzpatrick should have arrived at her home on the urbanisation Riviera del Sol in Mijas Costa, near Fuengirola, at about 10:10pm, as it was only a short walk away. She never arrived home and has not been heard from or seen since that night. Initial search: Following her disappearance, a search involving hundreds[1] of people was launched amidst speculation this was not an abduction. Fitzpatrick's mother Audrey and her partner Dave Mahon continue to try to keep the campaign to find Fitzpatrick alive. In August 2008, the home of Mahon and Fitzpatrick's lawyer in Riviera del Sol was broken into and a laptop that was used in the search for Fitzpatrick was stolen. In addition, Amy Fitzpatrick's Nokia mobile phone was stolen. The 32-year-old lawyer, Juan José de la Fuente Teixidó, said the burglars got into his property by forcing a locked garden gate. He said: "The stolen documents included confidential police reports about Fitzpatrick's disappearance. I believe the burglary was related to Fitzpatrick's disappearance. It makes no sense that they took documents which financially are worthless, and left behind all my expensive valuables like TVs, computers and music equipment." Ransom deman: In June 2009, Audrey Fitzpatrick received a telephone call from a man claiming he knew the location of Amy Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick described the caller as having an African accent asking her if she was Fitzpatrick's mother. In an article published by expatriate newspaper Euro Weekly News Audrey said: He went on to say he knew where she was. She had been kidnapped and was in Madrid and the police were not to be involved. So I agreed, of course. He then said he'd ring me back with a name and address in two hours. Five hours later, after sitting with my phone in my hand and my heart in my mouth, I got a text to say, and I quote: 'Can you pay us 500,000 euro. Yes or no send your answer now and will send you all the info you need.' The phone number on this text is 672 564 687. I'll also give you the number he rang me on, too: 672 564 681. Audrey Fitzpatrick commented that the Guardia Civil and her private investigators followed up on these numbers, but they are both pre-pay, and have never been registered. The search continues: Audrey Fitzpatrick has taken on private investigators who have been working on Fitzpatrick's case since 2008. They are the same detectives used in the case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance. They are following up on names that they think might be significant, mainly two English people. In May 2012, it was reported that an infamous Irish gangland killer, Eric "Lucky" Wilson, murdered her. Her parents believe that this particular piece of information is credible; however, a body is yet to be found. Crucially, Amy was seen out with an older man on the night she disappeared who her family now believe was Wilson. Amy's mother, Audrey, is to publish a book later this year about the disappearance of her daughter hoping that it will prompt people with any information to come forward. A police report from May 2011 claims three witnesses have come forward alleging they saw Amy with a mystery blonde woman in the Trafalgar Bar in Calahonda's El Zoco centre hours after her previous last reported sighting. Amy's brother was stabbed to death in Coolock, Dublin, in 2013 in an incident involving Dave Mahon, his mother's partner. Investigations into this killing are ongoing by the Garda Síochána. On 6 May 2016, Dave Mahon was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of his stepson, Dean Fitzpatrick. He has been since sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Murder of Becky Watts

Rebecca Marie "Becky" Watts was a 16-year-old student from Crown Hill in the St. George area of Bristol, England, who went missing on 19 February 2015 and whose dismembered body was found on 3 March in Barton Court, also in Bristol. In November 2015, her step-brother Nathan Matthews, was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 33 years. His girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, was found guilty of her manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Both were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Watts, preventing a lawful burial by dismembering and hiding her body, perverting the course of justice, and possession of two stun guns. Disappearance and investigation: Becky Watts, who lived with her father and step-mother at an address in Crown Hill, Bristol, went missing on 19 February 2015. She had stayed at a friend's house the previous night and returned home, apparently then leaving the house again afterwards. Her step-mother told police she last saw her at around 11:15 that morning before leaving for a hospital appointment. Early reports suggested she had taken her phone, laptop and tablet computer with her, but no extra clothes or money, and did not tell friends or family where she was going. Her disappearance was described as "out of character". She was reported missing by her family on 20 February, at around 4 pm. Two days later, Avon and Somerset Police made their first appeal for information into her disappearance. The following day, her father and grandmother appeared at a press conference appealing for her "to come home". An online campaign using the hashtag "#FindBecky" was launched on social media, reaching more than two million people worldwide. Police activities focused on a number of properties in the Barton Hill area of Bristol and in Southmead, as well as a lake in St. George Park and Troopers Hill nature reserve. In addition, searches were made in nearby open spaces and park areas, as well as house to house inquiries. Searches were also organised by public volunteers including in Wharf Road in Fishponds, Trym Valley and Badock's Wood. Police put out a public appeal for information regarding the movements of a black Vauxhall Zafira between the dates of 19 and 23 February. Initial inquiries focused on the belief that Watts had left the family home on 19 February. However, at the trial this was revealed to be false information given by Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare. During the missing persons investigation, after police learned they had been at the house in Crown Hill around the time of her disappearance, both Matthews and Hoare gave witness statements telling officers that they had not seen Watts that day but "heard the door slam" and assumed she had left. Arrests: On 28 February 2015, it was announced that a 28-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of kidnap. Two days later, the pair were re-arrested on suspicion of murder. On 3 March, Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that after receiving "new information", body parts believed to be those of Becky Watts had been discovered, in a house at Barton Court in the Barton Hill area of Bristol. A further five people were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. On 4 March, Watts' step-brother, Nathan Matthews, was charged with her murder. On 6 March, four other people were charged with assisting an offender, having been accused of helping to hide or dispose of her body. A fifth person, a 23-year-old man who was also arrested on 2 March, was released without charge. On 22 June, Matthews' girlfriend, 21-year-old Shauna Hoare, who was originally charged with perverting the course of justice, was also charged with murder. Matthews and Hoare were also charged with conspiracy to kidnap, preventing lawful burial and possession of an illegal weapon. The pair were also charged with four counts of making indecent images of children, although these were unrelated to the murder. Matthews was also charged on unrelated counts of sexual assault and voyeurism. Trial and verdicts: The murder trial began on 6 October 2015 at Bristol Crown Court. It was the prosecution's case that Watts was suffocated in her bedroom on 19 February 2015 during an alleged "sexually-motivated" kidnap plot carried out by Nathan Matthews and Shauna Hoare. According to the prosecution, after the killing, Matthews and Hoare put her body into the boot of their car and remained at the Crown Hill address for several more hours, during which time other family members arrived home. Later that day, they drove back to their own house, where they spent the days after dismembering her body using a knife and a circular saw, and "carefully packaged" the body parts into bags and boxes before arranging it to be stored in a neighbour's shed. Matthews admitted killing Watts, but denied committing murder. He instead claimed manslaughter, telling the court that he had tried to kidnap Watts as a way of scaring her into changing what he perceived as her bad behaviour, but the plan went wrong and he accidentally killed her. Matthews insisted the killing took place while Hoare was in the garden, and that she was not involved. Hoare, who also denied murder, said she had no knowledge of or involvement in Watts' death, describing text messages she had exchanged with Matthews about kidnapping schoolgirls in the months before as "unfortunate" and "sarcastic". The prosecution claimed that the text messages between the two, as well as other content found at their home, suggested "a shared unnatural interest in attractive teenage females". The prosecution also relied on CCTV evidence of the movements of Matthews and Hoare on the day of Watts' death and in the following days. On 19 February, before going to Crown Hill, they were seen in a Tesco supermarket buying batteries, which were allegedly needed for stun guns which they intended to use in the kidnap. CCTV footage from the day after Watts was killed showed Matthews buying the circular saw that was used to dismember her body, and between the 20 and 22 February, he and Hoare were captured shopping for cleaning products which was said they required to clean the bathroom where the dismemberment took place. DNA linked both Matthews and Hoare to items that were found in the shed alongside Watts' body parts, and an expert was called to give evidence who said it would be "easier" to carry out the dismemberment if more than one person was involved. On 11 November 2015, after three hours and 27 minutes of deliberations, the jury found Matthews guilty of murder and Hoare guilty of manslaughter. Both were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Watts, perverting the course of justice, preventing a lawful burial by dismembering and hiding her body, and possession of two stun guns. Two men, James Ireland and Donovan Demetrius, were cleared of assisting an offender, which related to the moving and storing of packages containing Watts' body parts. Donovan's brother Karl Demetrius and his girlfriend Jaydene Parsons, who owned the shed where her remains were stored, had admitted the same charge at an earlier pre-trial hearing, though both insisted they did not know the true contents of the packages. Sentencing: At Bristol Crown Court on 13 November 2015, Mr Justice Dingemans sentenced Matthews to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years and Hoare to 17 years in prison. In his sentencing remarks, the judge agreed with the prosecution's belief that the planned kidnap was for a "sexual purpose", telling Matthews he had "a fixation with having sex with petite teenage girls" and that he believed Hoare had been "persuaded to participate in this fixation." The judge began to sob as he neared the conclusion of his sentencing remarks. He said: "Finally I should like to pay public tribute to the family of Becky for the dignified way in which they have conducted themselves throughout these proceedings" and then continued: "Hearing the evidence during the trial has been difficult for anyone but it is plain that it has been an immense burden for the family." There were tears in his eyes and he left the court quickly. On 5 February 2016, Demetrius and Parsons were sentenced after admitting assisting an offender. Demetrius was jailed for two years, while Parsons was jailed for 16 months. Both Matthews and Hoare tried to appeal against their convictions and sentences, but, on 23 June 2016, the Court of Appeal rejected their applications, saying that there was "no reasonable argument that the convictions are unsafe or that the sentences were wrong in principle or manifestly excessive." Post-trial events: After the trial Watts' father, Darren Galsworthy, released a memoir which discussed his daughter's life, her murder and the subsequent criminal trial of those responsible. Entitled Becky: The Heartbreaking Story of Becky Watts, the book was published by Harper Collins in March 2016. It was later re-titled to The Evil Within when released in paperback. In February 2016 a wooden bench was unveiled in her memory, located at Goat's Field close to her home in Bristol. The bench, carved by Andy O'Neill, was funded by the Neighbourhood Watch Partnership. A painted mural was also erected in memory of Watts in the park near to where she lived, as well as a lamp that was funded by her former college.

Media coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting

On April 16, 2007, media from around the world descended on Blacksburg, Virginia, upon receiving word of the Virginia Tech shooting, including American evening news anchors Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and Charles Gibson. Additionally, all network morning shows and the late-night ABC show Nightline sent reporters to the Virginia Tech campus for live coverage. The media soon labeled the event the "deadliest school shooting in American history." In addition to the extensive, world-wide media coverage of the event, there was intense speculation immediately following the massacre over the state of mind of the perpetrator. The focus was not only on the perpetrator and the incident, but also on the media itself, with journalistic ethics being questioned. The media and the general public also questioned American gun control policies as a result of the killings. United States- Citizen journalism: Jamal Albarghouti, a graduate student at Virginia Tech, on April 16, 2007, recorded video of the exterior of Norris Hall during the classroom shootings. Albarghouti captured the footage using the video function on his cell phone while ducking for safety outside the building where the shooting occurred. The video displays police officers reacting to the sound of gunshots, which could be heard coming from the interior of the campus building. His video footage was televised frequently during the course of the event, and additionally logged over 1.8 million hits the day of the incident on CNN's I-Report, a feature that allows viewers to send video footage as well as photos from their cellphone or personal cameras. Albarghouti's video was some of the most memorable media coverage of the event, notably for its audio capture of the shooter's methodic gunfire. Albarghouti was later interviewed on CNN's Situation Room and appeared on Larry King Live later that day. He said to Larry King that he left the dangerous streets of the Middle East to come to a safe town, Blacksburg, in Virginia to study. He went on to say that he still considers the town to be safe. The cellphone used by Albarghouti is now headed to the Newseum in Washington D.C., a museum dedicated to the history of Journalism. Inaccurate media reports: Early media reports by Michael Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times incorrectly identified a Chinese American and a Chinese national as the suspected shooter. Her report was cited by different media sources around the world. The erroneous reports spread for more than 12 hours until the perpetrator was officially identified. The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement criticising "irresponsible reports", and saying that it was a "terrible mistake and a violation of professional ethics to publish reports before checking the facts." Wayne Chiang, a Fall 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech and an ardent supporter of the right to bear arms, was widely mistaken as the killer, as his profile matched several key attributes of the suspected shooter falsely reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. After receiving a deluge of hate-mail and death threats, he came out declaring he was not the shooter. Following the identification of the perpetrator, several media outlets named Chiang, including Geraldo Rivera on Fox News and CNN. His picture was also included twice in a CTV montage of pictures of the actual shooter, even after the shooter had been positively identified as Cho Seung-Hui. In a Fox News interview conducted several hours after the shooting occurred and before the killer was identified, controversial (and now disbarred) lawyer Jack Thompson, referred to by Fox News as a "School Shootings Expert," stated that the shootings were motivated by violent video games, specifically the perpetrator's use of them. There were claims that Cho was a devoted player of Counter-Strike, but further investigation revealed little to no proof of his alleged gaming activities. Thompson even went as far as blaming Bill Gates for promoting the game and ordering him to take it offline, even though Counter-Strike is owned and operated by Valve. Television news: As the scope and relevance of the shootings quickly became apparent, the four leading broadcast networks in the United States — ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox — pre-empted regular programming (whether across a network or on its local stations) for breaking news bulletin coverage. This lasted for much of the early afternoon. Local News: The local news networks in the Middle Atlantic region had extensive coverage, as many residents of the area had ties to Virginia Tech, until the evening news programs took over at 6:30pm. WTVR and WHSV used a feed from CNN during the afternoon. The Washington, DC and Roanoke area stations had their own coverage. WDBJ, WSLS, WSET, WUSA, WRC, and WJLA all had streaming online coverage for persons wanting to watch from work. WSLS started a feed at approximately 10:30am. WDBJ (the local CBS affiliate in Roanoke) had the first live shot from the campus just blocks away from Norris Hall at approximately 10:45am. WDBJ supplied CNN and their affiliates live coverage for hours until the national media arrived. Then supplied all CBS,CNN and NNS affiliates with video. WDBJ started internet coverage before 10:15am. National News Networks: The specialty news channels in the U.S. — CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel — had started covering the story much earlier, mentioning the first gunshot attacks on the West Ambler-Johnston residence hall before starting much more extensive coverage when news of the shootings at Norris Hall broke. CNN first reported the AJ shooting about 10:10 a.m. ET. The channels dropped all commercial breaks until about 7 p.m. Eastern time, then aired limited commercials after that through the night. Major Networks: The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric expanded to an hour that night, and NBC replaced two planned sitcom reruns with a one-hour special at 10 p.m. ET. (The sitcoms were to have replaced The Black Donnellys, which NBC had cancelled.) ABC's World News with Charles Gibson was extended by five minutes, and NBC limited commercials on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. All four broadcast networks carried the university's official convocation service the next day beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern time and lasting for about 90 minutes. That night, all three of the oldest networks had special programs. NBC went on the air at 8 p.m. ET as part of its regular Dateline NBC series, and ABC and CBS aired specials at 10 p.m. ET (the CBS show replaced 48 Hours Mysteries and the ABC program was in the regular slot for Primetime). CBS Evening News again lasted for an hour. The Associated Press: The Associated Press reported one injury and one death in the Ambler Johnston shooting just before 11 a.m. ET. After the University posted on their website about the other shooting in Norris, the Associated Press then reported "seven to eight additional casualties" shortly after 11:10 a.m. This report sent the news networks into their aforementioned nonstop news coverage. Cho's media package: On April 18, NBC aired the videotape and some pictures that it received from the killer, Seung-Hui Cho, that afternoon. The package, which Williams called a "multimedia manifesto," was mailed between the two shooting episodes and was received at NBC's New York headquarters that afternoon, and they reported the package to the FBI. Anticipating criticisms that the airing of the tapes was irresponsible, NBC News president Steve Capus said that reporting the story and distributing the information was a journalistic necessity, to provide context and background on Cho's possible motivations. Some family members of the victims were upset that the photos and video sent by the killer were broadcast, and subsequently canceled interviews with NBC in protest. A Virginia State Police spokesman said he was "rather disappointed in the editorial decision to broadcast these disturbing images," adding that he regretted that "people who are not used to seeing that type of image had to see it." Although NBC received and first broadcast the tapes, all major broadcast and cable newscasts and channels aired portions of the tapes. The American Psychiatric Association, however, urged the media to withdraw the footage from circulation, arguing that publicizing it "seriously jeopardizes the public's safety by potentially inciting 'copycat' suicides, homicides and other incidents." NBC defended itself by stating its staff had intensely debated releasing the footage before deciding to broadcast it and asserted it had covered this story with extreme sensitivity. Williams also emphasized that it had edited out a large amount of obscene material and that the release was cleared by federal and state authorities. Fox News, which replayed NBC's information extensively, defended NBC's release of the materials. Most of these outlets did restrict coverage in ensuing days due to public outcry, while many Mid-Atlantic region stations decided to stop airing it altogether after the first night, because of the outcry from the public. In Canada, the CBC did not air the footage at all. At the annual meeting of NBC's parent company, General Electric, Media watchdog group Accuracy in Media sought the firing of NBC News President Steve Capus because of his decision to air the tapes. Other commentaries: Social scientist and author Loren Coleman, has written in some detail in his same-named copycat effect blog and been extensively quoted by the media regarding the impact that the wall-to-wall coverage had in framing Cho's attack, and in the copycats in its wake. Outside the U.S.: There was extensive coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting and its aftermath in countries throughout the world, with many stations and papers sending journalists to Blacksburg to cover the massacre. Dozens of newspapers around the world placed the story on the front page. The shootings sparked the usual commentary and editorials that are customarily critical of U.S. gun laws and gun culture in the rest of the developed world. In the UK, an editorial in The Times asked, "Why ... do Americans continue to tolerate gun laws and a culture that seems to condemn thousands of innocents to death every year, when presumably, tougher restrictions, such as those in force in European countries, could at least reduce the number?" An article on the front-page of the Ottawa Citizen, advocating tougher gun control laws, similarly asked why America tolerated laws which "allowed thousands of innocents to be killed each year." The Swedish paper Göteborgs-Posten commented that "without access to weapons, the killings at Virginia Tech might have been prevented" because "the fundamental reason is often the perpetrator's psychological problems in combination with access to weapons." In Japan, the Asahi Shimbun commented that "the mass shooting.... reminded us once again how disturbingly common gun fatalities are in the United States," and went on to note, "Humans become enraged and desperate, and a gun in the hands of an enraged or desperate individual could be a sure recipe of disaster or tragedy." Australian Prime Minister John Howard said tough Australian legislation introduced after a 1996 mass shooting in Tasmania had prevented a problematic gun culture in Australia by showing "a national resolve that the gun culture that is such a negative in the United States would never become a negative in our country." Other international commentators predicted little chance of tougher gun laws or changes to the U.S. gun culture. BBC's Washington correspondent Matt Frei wrote "America is at its most impressive when it grieves and remembers. But will the soul-searching ever produce legislation and will it make schools safer?". He further predicted that "despite this week's bloodbath there will be no overwhelming demand for gun control in this country." Similarly, The Economist said: "The Columbine killings of 1999 failed to provoke any shift in Americans' attitudes to guns. There is no reason to believe that this massacre, or the next one, will do so either." The first book published about the killings was La masacre de Virginia Tech: Anatomía de una mente torturada (The Virginia Tech Massacre: Anatomy of a tortured mind, ISBN 978-84-935789-4-7) by the Spanish journalist and author Juan Gómez-Jurado. Reaction on campus: Students quickly grew tired of the large media presence on campus. The student government issued a statement on Sunday, April 22, the day before classes resumed asking the media to leave campus. Students were also encouraged to decline requests for contact by the media. Media criticism of Virginia Tech President Charles Steger was quickly met by support of Steger by alumni, students and faculty. An online petition gathered 32,000 signatures with days and Steger was swarmed by supportive students as he walked the campus. On the whole, those close to university felt that in retrospect, that while the incident could have been handled differently, blaming Steger and Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum was unfair. Impact in entertainment- -Jay Leno led the April 16 show off by sending prayers and best wishes to everyone affected. He stated that his job was to end the day on a happy note, and be a little silly, and he was going to try to do that for everyone on that day. -The massacre was mentioned three times in the April 17 episode of hit show American Idol: First, show host Ryan Seacrest expressed "thoughts and prayers" on behalf of the producers of the show and the network; contestant Chris Richardson from Chesapeake, Virginia dedicated his performance to the victims and their families; judge Simon Cowell noted "how difficult this week was for all of us." Cowell was caught rolling his eyes on camera as a contestant was expressing sympathy for Tech victims. At first, this was misinterpreted as his showing his disrespect. Cowell later clarified that he was discussing the contestant's performance with another judge. This was confirmed by an uncut re-broadcast of the moment on the following night. -Another Fox show, Bones, postponed the showing of an episode that had been scheduled for April 18. Its storyline centered on a basketball player found dead on a college campus. The episode later aired the following year. -Also from Fox, The Simpsons episode "You Kent Always Say What You Want" was originally planned to be titled the "Kent State Massacre" but was changed in light of the incident. -The April 25, 2007 broadcast of NBC's drama series Medium was prefaced by a viewer's discretion announcement delivered by the show's stars, Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber. This was due to a previous episode dealing with a hostage situation that involved three employees being shot to death. -CBS pulled the Criminal Minds episode "Doubt" from the 2006–2007 line-up due to similarities in the plot and the massacre at Virginia Tech in April, 2007. The episode eventually aired September 26, 2007. ABC revised the story arc of a 17-episode soap opera One Life to Live in which the May sweeps was to be centered on a hostage crisis taking place at the fictitious Llanview High School. -Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio began their show on April 17 by offering condolences to the families of the victims and talking somberly about the tragedy. -Jeff Foxworthy, while hosting the Country Music Awards, gave a brief dedication to the victims, saying "You'll always be in the heart of the Country Music community."

scars

i've got scars on my legs since i've got itchy legs. i shaved and then started scratching.

mind blank

i'm trying to write my talk but i'm having a mind blank. i've got some points but i can't write out my talk.

Paturis Park murders

The Paturis Park murders are a series of 13 murders of gay men committed between February 2007 and August 2008. The murders took place in Paturis Park ("Parque dos Paturis") in Carapicuíba, Brazil, and were perpetrated by an unidentified killer dubbed the "Rainbow Maniac". Murders and investigation: The killings took place between February 2007 and August 2008 in Paturis Park. The victims, all gay men, were aged 20–40. All but one were shot, 12 of them in the head; one died from blows to the head. The last victim was shot 12 times. According to Brazilian media, the park is in an area frequented by prostitutes. Police dubbed the killer the "Rainbow Maniac", a reference to the gay pride flag. The first murder occurred on 4 July 2007 and the last on 15 March 2009. Officials from the São Paulo State Public Safety Department announced that the killer could be a state police officer. As of 2008, tests are underway to see if the same gun was used in each murder. Suspect arrested: On 10 December 2008, police arrested a retired state police sergeant, Jairo Francisco Franco, based on witness statements implicating him in a murder which occurred on 19 August 2008. A witness claims to have seen Franco shoot a black gay man 12 times that night. Another witness told police that Franco often visited the park to look for gay men and victims. Suspect released: On 23 August 2011, Jairo Francisco Franco was released after the trial, having been declared not guilty by the jury by 4 votes against 2.

Toronto hospital baby deaths

The Toronto hospital baby deaths were multiple alleged poisonings of babies at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children that occurred between June 1980 and April 1981, when charges of murder were laid against a nurse at the hospital. The story was a major news event throughout the year, and ended with the nurse being exonerated. Although suspicion was cast on other people, no further charges were ever laid. Later analysis suggests that the tests and methodologies that pointed to poisoning were flawed, and may have been generating false positives. Specifically, chemicals used in the manufacture of everyday medical items may have contributed to the test indicating high levels of the alleged poison. It was also demonstrated that a "wave" of similar alleged poisonings were occurring at that time. Initial accusations: During an investigation of baby deaths in the cardiac unit of the Hospital for Sick Children, abnormally high levels of the heart medication digoxin were found in as many as 43 of the infants. The levels were measured using a newly introduced testing method known as HPLC, and the levels were high enough to suggest that it was the cause of death. A police investigation followed during which time it was found that a nurse that the hospital had been working shifts during the times that 23 of the deaths occurred. Susan Marguerite Nelles (born in Belleville, Ontario), was arrested and charged in March 1981 with murdering four babies. The deaths then stopped. During the case that followed, it was discovered that Nelles had not actually been on duty during the noted times, having swapped shifts with other nurses who had access to the same medication. Although the deaths ended after Nelles' arrest, the hospital had introduced restrictions for access to digoxin and had implemented a policy that kept infants in intensive care longer. Total deaths between the two units remained identical. Nelles asked for legal counsel when she was arrested. Her request was interpreted by the investigating police officers to be an indication of her guilt, but the court later ruled that such requests should not be interpreted as evidence of guilt. The court also ruled that the Crown lacked evidence to convict Nelles. The government eventually paid for Nelles' legal costs after she sued the province's Attorney-General, Roy McMurtry for malicious prosecution. Inquiry and aftermath: A Royal Commission, led by Justice Samuel Grange, found that eight infants had been murdered. Although another nurse, Phyllis Trayner, fell under scrutiny, no one was charged. Moreover, the experimental test that detected digoxin may have given false results for other chemicals. Nelles has since remained in the medical care world after her trial. In 1992 she became Director of the Belleville Dialysis Unit of Kingston General Hospital. She also counsels nurses on legal issues and on dialysis. In 1999, Nelles received an honorary degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario (from which she had graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree in 1978) for her work in promoting integrity in the nursing field. She helped establish the Nelles Scholarship for Queen's Nursing Science Students in memory of her father, Dr James Nelles and brother Dr David Nelles. As of 2005, only Nelles had been charged with a crime involving the baby deaths. MBT: As per 2010 LawNow.org article, there is some question as to whether any of the infants were murdered – but perhaps killed by a substance called MBT (mercaptobenzothiazole) that was used in the manufacture of the syringes used to medicate the babies and can mimic digoxin in autopsies. To quote from the epilogue, "Today, no one can even say with certainty whether any crimes were ever committed on the pediatric cardiac ward." Gavin Hamilton, M.D., of London, Ontario, published a book, The Nurses are Innocent – The Digoxin Poisoning Fallacy, proving that very high blood digoxin levels should be expected in autopsy samples. He described an epidemic of baby poisoning occurring at the same time as the Toronto baby deaths (in Hammersmith Hospital, London, England), caused by a cumulative toxin leached from pharmaceutical rubber (syringes, ampoules, and I.V. apparatus). Babies anywhere in the world who received multiple injections (such as the seriously ill Toronto babies) were exposed to this contaminant, MBT. In the FDA's National Center for Drug Analysis, MBT was proven to give falsely high digoxin readings by HPLC testing, the method used by the Toronto Centre for Forensic Sciences during the criminal investigation.

Honolulu Strangler

The Honolulu Strangler also known as the Honolulu Rapist was Hawaii's first known serial killer and responsible for the death of five women in Honolulu in 1985 and 1986. The killer has not been caught. Victims- Vicki Gail Purdy: The first victim was Vicki Gail Purdy, 25, a military spouse of Gary Purdy, an army helicopter pilot. She had left to go clubbing in Waikīkī on May 29, 1985 but failed to meet her friends. She was last seen by the taxi driver who drove her to the Shorebird Hotel at 12:00 am, apparently to retrieve her car, which was later found in the hotel parking lot. The next morning her body was found in an embankment at Keehi Lagoon, wearing her yellow jumpsuit. Her hands were bound behind her back, and she had been raped and strangled. Her husband told police he suspected her death to be associated with her job, working at a video rental store that also handled pornographic film, where two women were stabbed to death a year earlier. Regina Sakamoto: The second victim was Regina Sakamoto, 17, of Leilehua High School. She had missed her bus from Waipahu to school on January 14, 1986 and was last heard from by her boyfriend at 7:15 am when she called to tell him she would be late. On January 15 her body was found at Keehi Lagoon wearing her blue tank top and white sweatshirt but her lower body was unclothed. Her hands bound behind her back, she had been raped and strangled. She was planning on attending Hawaii Pacific University in the fall. This second case led police to suspect the same killer as the first because of the same modus operandi. Denise Hughes: The third victim was Denise Hughes, 21, a secretary for a telephone company who commuted by bus and was active in her Christian church. She did not show up to work on January 30, and was found dead in Moanalua stream by three young fishermen on February 1. Her decomposing body was clothed in a blue dress, wrapped in a blue tarp, and with her hands bound. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Prompted by a third body, a serial killer taskforce was established on February 5. Louise Medeiros: The fourth victim was Louise Medeiros, 25. She lived in Waipahu but had gone to Kauai to meet her extended family because of the death of her mother. Medeiros took a red-eye flight back to Oahu on March 26 and told her family she would get home by bus from the airport. She disembarked the airplane and disappeared. Her decomposing body was found April 2 near Waikele stream by road workers. She was wearing her blouse but her lower body was unclothed, and her hands were bound behind her back. Police set up sting operations using policewomen around Keehi Lagoon and the Honolulu International Airport. Linda Pesce: The fifth and last known victim of the Honolulu Strangler was Linda Pesce, 36. According to her roommate she left home on the morning of April 29 and was expected to be home late that evening, due to a pre-scheduled work meeting. The next morning, after being told that Linda had not shown up for work and that her car was parked on the side of the Nimitz-H1 viaduct, her roommate reported her missing. A Caucasian man, 43, told police a psychic told him a body was at Sand Island. On May 3, the informant took police to an exact location, but was wrong. Police searched the island and found Pesce's body. She was nude, her hands bound behind her back. Investigation: The Honolulu Police Department had established a 27-person serial killer taskforce on February 5 with help from the FBI and the Green River taskforce. The killer's profile was of an opportunist who attacked women who were vulnerable, such as at bus stops, not one who stalks his victims. He also likely lives or works in the area of the attacks, Waipahu or Sand Island. Police set up roadblocks at the time of the Pesce murder to question frequent commuters. Witnesses came forward saying they had seen a light colored van and a Caucasian or mixed-race man with Pesce's car. Following the discovery of Pesce's body, police arrested the informant on May 9 as the primary suspect. The suspect's ex-wife and girlfriend described him as a smooth talker. They also provided a potentially incriminating fetish clue, as both recalled engaging in bondage activity, allowing him to tie them up and have sex with their hands bound behind their back. His girlfriend related that on nights after they had fought, he would leave the house, and that these were the same nights as the murders. The suspect lived in Ewa Beach and worked as a mechanic at one of the air freight along Lagoon Drive. Between 8:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. the suspect was interrogated, failed a polygraph test and was eventually released. Police followed the suspect and a $25,000 reward for information was put out by private businesses. Two months after the arrest of the suspect, a woman came forward and claimed she saw Pesce with a man on the night of her murder. She successfully picked the suspect out of a photo lineup as the man. She did not want to be a witness because she believed he saw her as well.

Dennis O'Neill case

Dennis O'Neill was a 12-year-old Welsh boy whose death at the hands of his foster parents led to an inquiry into and overhaul of fostering provisions in Great Britain. Circumstances of death: Dennis O'Neill, 12, lived in Newport, Monmouthshire. On 30 May 1944 Dennis and his younger brothers, Terence (Terry), 9, and Frederick (Freddie), 7, were committed to the care of Newport County Borough Council by Newport Juvenile Court on the grounds that they were in need of care and attention. On 5 July 1944 the Newport Education Committee, exercising powers under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, sent Dennis and Terence to live with Reginald Gough, 31, and his wife Esther, 29, at their remote farm, Bank Farm, in the Hope Valley, near Minsterley, Shropshire, England. Frederick was sent to a Mr and Mrs Pickering nearby. At 1:00 pm on 9 January 1945, Esther Gough telephoned the local doctor to tell him that Dennis was having a fit. The doctor arrived at 3:30 pm to find that he was already dead and was in an appalling condition. An inquest found that he had died of cardiac failure after being struck several heavy blows on the chest, and had also been beaten with a stick on the back. He was undernourished, thin and wasted, and well below normal average weight for his age. He had a number of septic ulcers on his feet and his legs were severely chapped. On 3 February 1945, Reginald Gough was charged with manslaughter and Esther Gough with wilful ill-treatment, neglect and exposure likely to cause suffering and injury. On 12 February 1945 she, too, was charged with manslaughter. Committal: On 13 February 1945 the Goughs appeared before Pontesbury Magistrates' Court. Terence O'Neill's testimony: On the first day of the committal proceedings, Terence testified that they were usually given three slices of bread and butter each per day, and that and tea was their only sustenance. They stole whatever they could from the pantry to supplement this. Dennis would suck milk from the teats of the farm cows. Every night both boys were given a severe thrashing on their hands and/or legs, sometimes up to 100 blows each. On 6 January 1945, Dennis had been ordered out to collect sticks. He came home shivering with only a handful of sticks and was forced out again by Gough using his stick. He stood in the yard crying and was dragged to the spinney by his hair by Mrs Gough. That night he was thrashed for taking a bite from a swede. The following day he was stripped naked by Gough and thrashed with a stick so hard that it broke; Gough then thrashed him with another stick until his legs were blue and bleeding. The next day he was unable to stand up and when Terence came home from school he found his brother locked in a cubbyhole in the kitchen. His feet were by now in a terrible condition and Gough hit him to try to make him stop crying. Dennis complained that his back hurt. Gough beat him with his fists again the following morning; he died in the afternoon. On the second day of the committal proceedings Terence gave another three hours of testimony about their mistreatment. The following day he was recalled again and admitted that the boys had sometimes misbehaved and deserved to be punished. Gough had played cricket and football with them and the Goughs insisted the boys said their prayers every night. This time he said that they all ate the same food. Other testimony: Miss Eirlys Edwards, a clerk in Newport Education Department (with no training or experience in matters of child welfare), testified on the second day that she visited Bank Farm on 20 December 1944, and observed that the boys were treated with little affection, and while Terence appeared to be well cared for, Dennis appeared ill and frightened; she asked Mrs Gough to call a doctor to examine him, which she said she would do. She had recommended to her superiors that the boys be removed and Mr W. J. Edmonds, Newport's Deputy Director of Education, confirmed that he had requested Shropshire Education Committee to do so, although the Goughs had not yet been informed of this decision. On the third day, Police Sergeant Macpherson testified that he had visited the farm following Dennis's death and found that the boys' bedroom was dirty and poorly furnished, whereas the Goughs' room was pleasant, neat and tidy. He said that Mrs Gough stated that Dennis had started complaining that his feet hurt soon after he came to live with them and that he was always late getting up. She had stated that the boys had been fighting the night before Dennis's death and it was this that had caused the marks on his body. She and her husband had, she said, hit the boys only very rarely, and then only on the hand for misbehaving. Trial: The Goughs were both committed for trial at Shrewsbury Assizes and were refused bail. However, on 27 February 1945, Mr Justice Hilbery transferred the case to Stafford Assizes at the request of counsel. The trial opened at Stafford on 15 March 1945, before Mr Justice Wrottesley. W. H. Cartwright Sharp KC prosecuted, J. F. Bourke represented Mr Gough, and A. J. Long KC represented Mrs Gough. The court heard that the Goughs' contract required them to bring up Dennis O'Neill as one of their own children in return for £1 per week. The court heard much the same testimony as in the committal hearings. However, it appeared that Terence had initially been somewhat confused about the sequence of events. The prosecution claimed that Dennis was tied to a bench and beaten with a stick for eating a swede the day before he died. Dr Holloway Davies, the local doctor called by Mrs Gough, testified that when he arrived Dennis had been dead for between four and six hours. That proved that Dennis had already been dead for some time when Mrs Gough called Dr Davies. On the second day, Reginald Gough gave evidence. He claimed that he and his wife were kind to the boys and fed them very well. The boys were frequently naughty, but were rarely disciplined. He claimed that the incident with the bench occurred, but he was only having a joke, did not actually tie Dennis to the bench, did not beat him, and they were all laughing about it. Mrs Gough gave evidence on the third day of the trial. She testified that she had married her husband in February 1942, having left the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in June 1941. They had no children of their own. She corroborated some of Terence's testimony about her husband's treatment of Dennis, and said she was afraid of her husband and that she believed that had she originally told the truth to the police she would also be dead. Her husband had told her that Dennis was dead and instructed her to lie to the doctor. The judge instructed the jury that they could not find Mrs Gough guilty of manslaughter, since only Mr Gough was strong enough to have inflicted the trauma which killed Dennis, but they could still find her guilty of neglect. On 19 March 1945, Reginald Gough was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison. Esther Gough was found guilty of neglect and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. The jury deliberated for only twenty minutes. It transpired that Gough had been convicted of common assault against his wife in 1942 and she had left him in July of that year, applying for a separation order on the grounds of persistent cruelty on 6 August 1942, but had later returned to live with him. The judge said that he took this into account before sentencing her, but her own ill-treatment was no excuse for her neglect of the boys. Inquiries- Parliament: The case was first raised in the House of Commons on 8 February 1945, by Kenneth Lindsay MP. It was raised on a number of occasions thereafter. Public inquiry: Politicians and the public were shocked by the case, especially that Gough had been given custody of the boys although he was known to the police and had a conviction for violence and that no inspection of the boys' welfare was made until they had been with the Goughs for six months. On 22 March 1945, the Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison, announced that a public inquiry would be held into the case. Sir Walter Monckton KC was appointed to conduct the inquiry. The inquiry opened at Newport Civic Centre on 10 April 1945. It reported on 28 May 1945. The report criticised both councils involved, but did not name any specific individual(s) and acknowledged that the failings were not deliberate. Shropshire inquiry: On 26 March 1945 Shropshire County Council began its own inquiry, although this was held in private. It was chaired by Sir Offley Wakeman. The inquiry reported on 30 June 1945, and called for a thorough reorganisation of the boarding-out of children. It accepted all blame placed upon the council by the public inquiry, but did not place any particular blame on any specific individual(s). Results: On 1 January 1947 new Home Office and Ministry of Health regulations on the boarding-out of children came into force as a direct result of the Monckton Report. The principal requirements were: -Each local authority was required to appoint a boarding-out committee, at least three of whose members were to be women and which had to meet at least every three months. The committee was to be responsible for finding suitable foster homes and to exercise supervision over all the authority's foster children. An official was required to visit every foster child within a month of their being placed and thereafter at least once every six weeks. They were required to submit a written report, taking into account any complaint made by the child. =A doctor was to be appointed for every foster child and was to examine the child within one month of their being placed and at least once a year thereafter. No child was to be fostered or remain fostered by a person with any criminal conviction rendering them unsuitable to be a foster parent or in any environment likely to be detrimental to them. The case was a significant contributory factor leading to the Children Act 1948. -In 1947 Agatha Christie wrote a radio play called Three Blind Mice loosely based on the case. This eventually developed into the long-running play The Mousetrap. -Terry O'Neill has published a non-fiction book about the case. Called Someone to Love Us, it was released on 4 March 2010, the day after what would have been Dennis's 78th birthday.

strange

i wonder why once i got over my initial nerves everything went well at the singles ward

on pins and needles

i'm usually on pins and needles when i'm around people from church. they're sweet but it's the kindness where i'm wanting to be left alone.

Murder of Victoria Climbié

In 2000 in London, an eight-year-old Ivorian girl, Victoria Adjo Climbié, was tortured and murdered by her guardians. Her death led to a public inquiry and produced major changes in child protection policies in the United Kingdom. Born in Abobo, Côte d’Ivoire, Climbié left the country with her great-aunt Marie-Thérèse Kouao, a French citizen, for an education in France, where they travelled, before arriving in London in April 1999. It is not known exactly when Kouao started abusing Climbié, although it is suspected to have worsened when Kouao and Climbié met and moved in with Carl Manning, who became Kouao's boyfriend. During the abuse, Climbié was burnt with cigarettes, tied up for periods of longer than 24 hours, and hit with bike chains, hammers and wires. Up to her death, the police, the social services department of four local authorities, the National Health Service, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), and local churches all had contact with her, and noted the signs of abuse. However, in what the judge in the trial following Climbié's death described as "blinding incompetence", all failed to properly investigate the case and little action was taken. Kouao and Manning were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. After Climbié's death, the parties involved in her case were widely criticised. A public inquiry, headed by Lord Laming, was ordered. It discovered numerous instances where Climbié could have been saved, noted that many of the organisations involved in her care were badly run, and discussed the racial aspects surrounding the case, as many of the participants were black. The subsequent report by Laming made numerous recommendations related to child protection in England. Climbié's death was largely responsible for the formation of the Every Child Matters initiative; the introduction of the Children Act 2004; the creation of the ContactPoint project, a government database designed to hold information on all children in England (now defunct after closure by the government of 2010); and the creation of the Office of the Children's Commissioner chaired by the Children's Commissioner for England. Life: Victoria Climbié was born on 2 November 1991 in Abobo near Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the fifth of seven children. Her parents were Francis Climbié and his wife Berthe Amoissi. Marie-Thérèse Kouao, Francis' aunt, was born on 17 July 1956 in Bonoua, Ivory Coast, and lived in France with her three sons, claiming welfare benefits. She divorced her former husband in 1978 and he died in 1995. Kouao was attending her brother's funeral in the Ivory Coast when she visited the Climbié family in October 1998. She informed them that she wanted to take a child back to France with her and arrange for their education; this sort of informal fosterage is common in the family's society. Victoria Climbié was apparently happy to be chosen, and although her parents had met Kouao only a few times, they were satisfied with the arrangements. From that point onwards, Kouao pretended that Climbié was her daughter. Kouao had originally planned to take another young girl called Anna Kouao, but Anna's parents changed their minds. Climbié travelled on a French passport in the name of Anna Kouao and was known as Anna throughout her life in the United Kingdom. It is not known exactly when Kouao started abusing Climbié. Climbié's parents received three messages about her from when she left them until her death, all saying she was in good health. Kouao and Climbié left the Ivory Coast possibly in November 1998 and flew to Paris, France, where Climbié enrolled at school. By December 1998, however, Kouao began to receive warnings about Climbié's absenteeism, and in February 1999, the school issued a child-at-risk notification and a social worker became involved. The school observed how Climbié tended to fall asleep in class, and the headteacher later recalled Kouao's mentioning Climbié suffering from some form of dermatological condition and that, on her last visit to the school on 25 March 1999, Climbié had a shaven head and was wearing a wig. When they left France, Kouao owed the authorities £2,000, after being wrongly paid in child benefit, and it is claimed that Kouao viewed Climbié as a useful tool for claiming benefits. Kouao had also been evicted from her home in France because of rent arrears. United Kingdom: On 24 April 1999, Kouao and Victoria Climbié left France and travelled to the United Kingdom, where they settled in Ealing, west London. They had a reservation in a bed and breakfast at Twyford Crescent, Acton, where they lived until 1 May 1999, when they moved to Nicoll Road, Harlesden, in the London Borough of Brent. On 25 April 1999, Kouao and Climbié visited Esther Ackah, a distant relative of Kouao by marriage, and a midwife, counsellor and preacher. Ackah and her daughter noted that Climbié was wearing a wig and looked small and frail. On 26 April 1999, Kouao and Climbié visited the Homeless Persons' Unit of Ealing Council, where they were seen by Julie Winter, a homeless persons' officer. Together, Kouao and Winter completed a housing application form. Kouao explained that Climbié was wearing a wig because she had short hair, an explanation accepted by Winter. Although Winter was shown Climbié's passport (with a photograph of Anna), she paid no attention to them, believing that Kouao's application was ineligible on the grounds of habitual residence. Winter confirmed her decision with her duty senior and told Kouao that she was not eligible for housing. She telephoned the referral across to Pamela Fortune, a social worker in Ealing's Acton referral and assessment team. She did not produce a written or electronic documentation of the referral, however, something which would have helped in double-checking the accounts that Kouao gave. Between 26 April and early July 1999, Kouao visited Ealing social services 18 times for housing and financial purposes. Climbié was with her on at least ten occasions. The staff there noted Victoria's unkempt appearance, with one staff member, Deborah Gaunt, thinking that she looked like a child from an ActionAid advertisement. However, they did not take any action and may have assumed that Victoria's appearance was a purposeful attempt to "persuade the authorities to hand out money". On 8 June 1999, Kouao got a job at Northwick Park Hospital. During her first month, no effort was made by Kouao or Ealing social services to enroll Climbié in educational or daycare activities. On 8 June 1999, Kouao took Climbié to a local GP surgery. The practice nurse there did not carry out a physical examination as she was not reported to have any current health problems. By the middle of June 1999, Victoria was spending the majority of her days at the Brent home of Priscilla Cameron, an unregistered childminder, who Kouao met at her job at the hospital. There is no evidence that Climbié was treated badly during her time with Cameron. On several occasions, Cameron observed small cuts to Climbié's fingers. When questioned by Cameron, Kouao said that they were caused by razor blades that Climbié played with. Kouao and Victoria met Ackah on the street on or around 14 June 1999. In what may have been early signs of deliberate physical harm, Ackah noted a scar on Climbié's cheek, which Kouao said was caused by a fall on an escalator. On 17 June 1999, in response to what she had seen three days earlier, Ackah visited Kouao and Climbié's home, and thought that the accommodation was unsuitable. On 18 June 1999, Ackah anonymously telephoned Brent social services, expressing concern over Climbié's situation. Samantha Hunt, the customer-service officer who received the call at the One Stop Shop at Brent House, faxed the referral to the children's social work department on that same day. Nobody picked up the referral on that Friday afternoon, and what happened to it was—according to Lord Laming, who headed the subsequent inquiry—the subject of "some of the most bizarre and contradictory evidence" the inquiry heard. A few days later, possibly on 21 June 1999, Ackah phoned Brent social services again to make sure her concerns were being addressed. Ackah said that she was told by the person on the other end of the telephone that "probably they (social services) had done something about it". This call, however, did not trigger a new, separate referral. The first referral was not seen until three weeks later on 6 July 1999, when Robert Smith, the group administrative officer, logged the details of the referral onto the computer, with details of Climbié's injuries. Laming said the delay constituted "a significant missed opportunity" to protect Climbié. Edward Armstrong, the team manager of the intake duty team, said that he completed a duty manager's action sheet not for the 18 June referral, which he said never arrived in his office, but for the 21 June referral, which was a less serious case than the first; Laming called this version of events "wholly unbelievable". Laming said that Armstrong's evidence was out of line with that of the other Brent witnesses, that the quality of it "left much to be desired", and that Armstrong's insistence that he dealt with the 21 June referral was an attempt to cover up his team's "inept handling" of a genuine child protection case. On 14 June 1999, Kouao and Climbié met Carl Manning on a bus which he was driving. This was the start of Kouao and Manning's relationship which ended at the time of their arrest eight months later. She was his first girlfriend. The relationship developed quickly and on 6 July 1999, Kouao and Climbié moved into Manning's one-bedroom flat at Somerset Gardens in Tottenham, in the London Borough of Haringey. There is evidence that Climbié's abuse increased soon after moving into Manning's flat. On 7 July 1999, Brent social services sent a letter to Nicoll Road, where Kouao and Climbié were staying, informing them of a home visit. On 14 July 1999, two social workers, Lori Hobbs and Monica Bridgeman, visited the address but found no answer: Kouao and Climbié had already moved out on 6 July 1999. Hobbs and Bridgeman made no further inquiries at the property, inquiries that might have led to a trail on Climbié's whereabouts. Prior to the visit, they had not done any background checks and had only the "haziest idea" of what they were investigating. The Laming report suggests that no reports or follow-up notes were made and that the only information additional to the referral were the notes "Not at this address. Have moved." First hospital admission: On 13 July 1999, Kouao took Climbié to Cameron's house, asking her to take Climbié permanently because Manning did not want her. Cameron refused but agreed to take her for the night. Cameron, her son Patrick, and her daughter Avril, observed that Climbié had numerous injuries—including a burn on her face and a loose piece of skin hanging from her right eyelid—which Kouao said was self-inflicted. Manning's account in the subsequent inquiry differed and he said that he hit Climbié because of her incontinence, beginning with slaps, but progressing to using his fist by the end of July. It was highly likely that at least some of the injuries were the result of deliberate physical harm. The next day, on 14 July 1999, Cameron's daughter Avril took Climbié to see Marie Cader, a French teacher at her son's school. Cader advised that Climbié be taken to hospital. At 11:00 am the same day, Avril took Climbié to the emergency department of Central Middlesex Hospital. At 11:50 am, Climbié was seen by Dr Rhys Beynon, a senior house officer in the department. Beynon took Climbié's history from Avril and thought that there was a strong possibility that the injuries were non-accidental. Due to hospital child protection guidelines, he referred the case to Dr Ekundayo Ajayi-Obe, the on-call paediatric registrar. Beynon conducted only a cursory examination of Climbié because he believed she was going to be examined by the paediatric team. The Laming report said that "he exhibited sound judgement in his care of Victoria by referring her immediately to a paediatric registrar." Climbié arrived at Barnaby Bear ward where she was examined by Ajayi-Obe, who noted various injuries. When asked about the injuries, Climbié said they were self-inflicted, a claim the paediatrician did not think was credible. Ajayi-Obe's notes were detailed and thorough, in contrast to those of the other doctors that examined her. Having examined Climbié, the paediatrician was "strongly suspicious" that the injuries were non-accidental, and she decided to admit Climbié onto the ward. The doctors alerted Brent police and social services, and she was placed under police protection, with a 72-hour protection order preventing her from leaving hospital. Kouao told the doctors that she had scabies, and that the injuries were self-inflicted. Many doctors and nurses suspected that the injuries were non-accidental. However, Ruby Schwartz, the consultant paediatrician and named child protection doctor at the hospital, diagnosed scabies and decided that it was scratching that caused the injuries. She made the diagnosis without speaking to Climbié alone. Schwartz later admitted that she made a mistake. Another doctor, one of Schwartz' juniors, misleadingly wrote to social services saying there was no child protection issue. When Michelle Hine, a child protection officer at Brent council, received a report notifying her of Climbié's injuries, she planned to open an investigation into the case. However, the next day she heard of Schwartz' diagnosis and downgraded Climbié's level of care, trusting Schwartz' judgement. She later expressed regret over her actions. Schwartz said in the inquiry that she expected social services to follow up the case. Neil Garnham QC, counsel to the inquiry following Climbié's death, later said to her, "there is a terrible danger here—is there not, doctor—of social services on the one hand and you on the other each expecting the other to do the investigation, with the result that nobody does". The police officer allocated to Climbié's case for the Brent Child Protection team, Rachel Dewar, decided to lift the police protection, allowing Climbié to return home, when told by a social worker that she had scabies. Under the Children Act 1989, Dewar was obliged to see Climbié and tell her she was under police protection, but she did not do this. She also failed to see Kouao or Manning. At the time of the decision, Dewar was attending a seminar on child protection. Garnham later said, "we will need to ask why it was thought more important for her to attend a seminar to learn how to deal with child protection cases than deal with the real child protection case for which she was responsible at the time". Kouao took Climbié home on 15 July 1999. Some time in July, probably just before Climbié was admitted to the Central Middlesex Hospital, Kouao befriended a couple, Julien and Chantal Kimbidima. Climbié and Kouao visited their home several times over the following months. According to Chantal, Kouao would shout at Climbié all the time and never showed her affection. Second hospital admission: On 24 July 1999, Climbié was taken by Kouao to the accident-and-emergency department at North Middlesex Hospital with severe scalding to her head and other injuries. The hospital found no evidence of scabies. Consultant Mary Rossiter felt Climbié was being abused but still wrote 'able to discharge' on her notes. According to Maureen Ann Meates, another doctor at the hospital, when Rossiter had written that note, she had noted that Climbié was exhibiting signs of neglect, emotional abuse and physical abuse. Later, in the inquiry, Rossiter said that by writing 'able to discharge', she did not mean she wanted Climbié to go home, merely that she was physically fit to leave. Garnham said, "quite how the subtlety of that distinction was to be ascertained from the notes is far from obvious". Rossiter admitted to the inquiry that she had expected police and social services to follow up on the case. For a brief period while Climbié was in hospital, Enfield social services took up the case before passing it to Haringey. A social worker and a police officer from Haringey council, Lisa Arthurworrey and Karen Jones, respectively, were assigned to her case, and were scheduled to make a home visit on 4 August 1999; however, the visit was cancelled once they heard about the scabies. Jones later said, "it might not be logical but I did not know anything about scabies." She said that she telephoned North Middlesex Hospital for information about the disease, but Garnham had evidence that the staff there dealt with no such inquiry. Jones was told by a doctor that Climbié's injuries were consistent with belt buckle marks, although she claimed in the inquiry there was no evidence of child abuse. On 5 August 1999, a Haringey social worker, Barry Almeida, took Climbié to an NSPCC centre in Tottenham, where she was assigned to Sylvia Henry. There was some confusion as to why the centre was being referred to for the case. Henry later contacted Almeida and was told, according to Henry, that Climbié had moved out of the borough, thereby closing the case. Almeida said he could not remember whether this conversation did take place. On the same day, Kouao met Arthurworrey and Jones at the Haringey social services department, and claimed that Climbié had poured boiling water over herself to stop the itching caused by the scabies and that she had used utensils to cause the other injuries. The social worker and police officer believed her, deciding that the injuries were probably accidental, and allowed Climbié to return home the following day, which she did. Post-hospital events: On 7 August 1999, Kouao visited Ealing social services; they said it was a housing issue and that the case was closed. Ealing social services would later be described as 'chaotic'. As a follow-up measure, a staff member at the hospital contacted a health visitor, but the health visitor said in the inquiry that she did not receive any contact. On 13 August 1999, Rossiter wrote to Petra Kitchman of Brent council, asking her to follow up on the Climbié case. Kitchman said in the inquiry that she contacted Arthurworrey, but Arthurworrey denied this. Later, on 2 September 1999, Rossiter sent a second letter. Kitchman said she spoke to Arthurworrey about this, but Arthurworrey denied this again. Arthurworrey made a visit to Climbié's home on 16 August 1999 and another one when Manning began forcing Climbié to sleep in the bathtub. Arthurworrey said in the inquiry that she was under the impression that Climbié seemed happy, but Garnham criticised Arthurworrey for not detecting any of the abuse, although Manning had described this visit as a "put up job". Arthurworrey and Climbié had met on four occasions, where they were together for a total of less than 30 minutes, barely speaking to each other. From then on, Kouao kept Climbié away from hospitals, turning instead to churches. Kouao said to the pastors that she was the mother and that demons were inside Climbié. The pastor at the Mission Ensemble Pour Christ, Pascal Orome, offered prayers for Climbié to cast out the devil, and thought that her injuries were due to demonic possession. On another occasion, Kouao took Climbié to a church run by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, where the pastor, Alvaro Lima, suspected she was being abused, although he took no action. He said in the inquiry that Climbié told him that Satan had told her to burn herself. The pastor did not believe her, but he still believed that a person could be possessed. From October 1999 to January 2000, Manning forced Climbié to sleep in a bin liner in the bathtub in her own excrement. During a later police interview, Manning said this was because of her frequent bedwetting. At Haringey social services on 1 November 1999, Kouao told social workers that Manning sexually assaulted Climbié, but withdrew the accusation the following day. In one of Arthurworrey's visits, during a conversation about housing, Arthurworrey said that the council accommodated only children who were believed to be at serious risk. Laming said in his report, "it may be no coincidence that within three days of this conversation, Kouao contacted Ms. Arthurworrey to make allegations which, if true, would have placed Victoria squarely within that category". Jones sent a letter to Kouao, which was ignored, and no further action was taken. Manning later denied the allegation. Alan Hodges, the police sergeant overseeing the investigation, claimed in the inquiry that the social workers were obstructing the police in dealing with child protection cases. Between December 1999 and January 2000, Arthurworrey made three visits to the flat, but she received no answer. She speculated to her supervisor, Carole Baptiste, that they had returned to France. Despite no evidence, her supervisor wrote on Climbié's file that they had left the area. On 18 February 2000 they wrote to Kouao saying that if they did not receive any contact from them, they would close the case. A week later, on 25 February 2000, they closed the case—on the same day that Climbié died. Death and trial: On 24 February 2000, Victoria Climbié was taken semi-conscious and suffering from hypothermia, multiple organ failure and malnutrition, to the local Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. With the advice of the pastor, a mini-cab was called to send Climbié to the hospital. The mini cab driver was horrified at Climbié's condition and sent her to the nearby Tottenham Ambulance Station instead. Climbié was rushed straight to the accident-and-emergency department at North Middlesex Hospital; she was then transferred to the intensive-care unit at St Mary's Hospital. The ambulance crew who drove her to St Mary's described how although Kouao had kept saying, "my baby, my baby", her concern seemed "not quite enough", and that Manning seemed "almost as if he was not there". Climbié died the following day at 3:15 pm local time. The pathologist who examined her body noted 128 separate injuries and scars on her body, and described it as the worst case of child abuse she had ever seen; Climbié had been burnt with cigarettes, tied up for periods of longer than 24 hours, and hit with bike chains, hammers and wires. During her life in Britain, Climbié was known to four local authorities (four social services departments and three housing departments), two child protection police teams, two hospitals, an NSPCC centre, and a few local churches. She was buried in Grand-Bassam near her home town. Kouao was arrested on the day that Climbié died, and Manning the following day. Kouao told police, "It is terrible, I have just lost my child". On 20 November 2000, at the Old Bailey, the trial into her death opened, where Kouao and Manning were charged with child cruelty and murder. Kouao denied all charges, and Manning pleaded guilty to charges of cruelty and manslaughter. The judge described the people in Climbié's case as "blindingly incompetent". In his diary, Manning described Climbié as Satan, and said that no matter how hard he hit her, she did not cry or show signs that she was hurt. On 12 January 2001, both were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. The judge said to them, "what Victoria endured was truly unimaginable. She died at both your hands, a lonely drawn out death". Kouao went to Durham prison and Manning went to Wakefield prison. Inquiry: On 20 April 2000, the health secretary, Alan Milburn, and the home secretary, Jack Straw, appointed William Laming, Lord Laming, former chief inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI), to conduct a statutory inquiry into Climbié's death. Laming was given the choice of staging a public inquiry or a private inquiry; he chose a public inquiry. It was the first inquiry to be set up by two secretaries of state. The inquiry was actually three separate inquiries, together called the Victoria Climbié Inquiry, as it had a statutory base of three pieces of legislation: section 81 of the Children Act 1989, section 84 of the National Health Service Act 1977, and section 49 of the Police Act 1996. It drew together the involvement of social services, the National Health Service, and the police, and became the first tripartite inquiry into child protection. The Counsel to the Inquiry was Neil Garnham QC. The inquiry, based in Hannibal House, Elephant and Castle, London, cost £3.8 million, making it the most expensive child protection investigation in British history. The website victoria-climbie-inquiry.org.uk was created, where all the evidence and documents were made available freely. The inquiry was launched on 31 May 2001, and was split into two phases: phase one and phase two. Phase one investigated the involvement of people and agencies in Climbié's death, in the form of hearings. Two hundred and seventy witnesses were involved. The phase one hearings began on 26 September 2001 and finished on 31 July 2002; it was originally supposed to end on 4 February 2002 but late documents caused delays. Phase two of the inquiry, taking place between 15 March 2002 and 26 April 2002, took the form of five seminars, which looked at the child protection system in general. It was chaired by Garnham and brought together experts in all aspects of child protection. Laming controversy: Laming's appointment was controversial as he had been director of Hertfordshire county council's social services department in 1990, a department which was strongly criticised for its handling of a child abuse case, and which had the Local Government Ombudsman making a finding of 'maladministration with injustice' against them in 1995. The father of the child in the case said of Laming's appointment, "I don't see how he has the qualifications or experience to be able to lead an investigation into another borough which has been failing to protect a child in exactly the same manner that his own authority failed to protect a child in 1990".[70] Liberal Democrat spokesman Paul Burstow said, "the findings of the ombudsman in the Hertfordshire case must give rise to questions about Lord Laming's appointment to head this inquiry"; and Conservative Party spokesman Liam Fox said, "I think the government maybe should have thought twice about this and maybe, even yet, they will think again". The Department for Health, however, said that they were "fully confident that he is the right person to conduct the inquiry". Obstruction of evidence: Several documents were submitted late or in suspicious circumstances to the inquiry. A report by the SSI was submitted late because the SSI presumed the document was not relevant to the inquiry. The report was produced in April 2001 but was not handed over to the inquiry until 2002. An earlier report by the Joint Review about Haringey social services, which was heavily relied upon during the inquiry, said that service users were "generally well served"; the SSI report said that the former report presented "an overly positive picture of Haringey's social services, particularly children's services". Further documents were received late, when Haringey council handed in 71 case documents five months after the hearings began. Laming said, "it shows a blatant and flagrant disregard to the work of this inquiry". The people involved were threatened with disciplinary action. This was not the first time that Haringey council did not produce documents on time, which led Laming to say to its chief executive, "it is a long sad and sorry saga of missed dates and missed timetables". Garnham warned that Haringey senior managers, who had access to the documents, would enjoy an unfair advantage in the inquiry, but Laming said he was "determined that Haringey is not given any advantage". The inquiry found contradictory information in the NSPCC's files. One file said that Climbié's case was "accepted for ongoing service", whilst another computer record, made after Climbié's death, said that "no further action" was to be taken, suggesting the possibility that records may have been changed. Documents given to the inquiry may also have been altered: the NSPCC provided photocopies of original documents, which had alterations in them, saying that the originals were lost; however, the originals were later produced with pressure from the inquiry. The NSPCC held an internal investigation but found no evidence of deception. Findings of the hearings: The inquiry heard that many of the councils were understaffed, underfunded, and poorly managed. The chief executive of Brent council said its social services department was "seriously defective". The inquiry was told that many cases at Brent social services were closed inappropriately before inspection by the social services inspectorate, that children were being placed unaccompanied in bed-and-breakfast accommodation, and that children in need were turned away. The inquiry heard how Edward Armstrong had previously been ordered not to work with children over his handling of a case in 1993. Haringey and Brent councils diverted £18.7 million and over £26 million, respectively, in the two years 1997/98 and 1998/99, from its social services department into services such as education, for other purposes; both underspent their budgets for children's services, totalling £28m, by more than £10m in 1998–99, causing a deteriorating of child protection services. The inquiry heard how Haringey council failed to assign social workers to 109 children in May 1999, a short period before they took on Climbié's case. Again in January 2002, Haringey council failed to assign social workers to about 50 children. Haringey council wrote a letter to Laming claiming that social workers who gave evidence were being questioned more harshly than other witnesses. Laming condemned the letter, saying "I will not tolerate any covert attempt to influence the way in which the inquiry is conducted." Mary Richardson, the director of social services at Haringey from 1 April 1998 until 31 March 2000, had been responsible for a restructuring of the department which, according to the union UNISON, had "virtually paralysed" the child protection service. She received contact from twelve senior practitioners and team managers criticising the proposals as "potentially dangerous and detrimental to the people to whom we offer a service". Richardson provided no substantive response to the memorandum. She did, however, say in the inquiry that the blame lay on "part of all of the line management responsibility". Gurbux Singh, the former chief executive of Haringey council (before becoming the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality), said that there was nothing he could have done to prevent Climbié's death. Garnham contrasted this with Rossiter's willingness to accept responsibility, saying, "that willingness to acknowledge error is at least at the root, is it not, of progress?" Kouao herself was called to the inquiry, becoming the first convicted murderer to appear in person in a public inquiry. She initially refused to answer questions, and when she did, protested her innocence, first in French, then, raising her voice in anger, in English. Giving evidence by video link from prison, Manning apologised for his actions and said that it was not the fault of the various agencies that Climbié died. Broadcasters applied for access to this video, but Laming refused the application. Climbié's parents gave evidence and were present at most of the hearings, becoming distressed when hearing of Climbié's plight and seeing pictures of her injuries. They blamed Haringey council and its chief executive for Climbié's death. Arthurworrey, a junior worker with only nineteen months of child protection experience when she took on Climbié's case, was found to have made mistakes in the case. She accused her employer of "making her a scapegoat", and criticised her superiors and department for not guiding her properly. The inquiry heard that Arthurworrey was overworked, taking on more cases than guidelines allow. Carole Baptiste, Arthurworrey's first supervisor, initially refused to attend the hearings, but subsequently gave vague responses to the inquiry, and said that she had been suffering from mental illness at the time. Baptiste's own child was taken into care a few months before Climbié's death. Arthurworrey said that, in their meetings, Baptiste spent most of the time discussing "her experiences as a black woman and her relationship with God", rather than child protection cases, and that she was frequently absent. Baptiste admitted she had not read Climbié's file properly. She was removed in November 1999 when she was found to be professionally unfit for her job, and replaced by Angella Mairs, who became Arthurworrey's new supervisor. Mairs was accused by Arthurworrey of not maintaining childcare standards and of removing an important document—which recommended that Climbié's case be closed—from Climbié's file on 28 February 2000, the day the news of the death was known; but she denied this. Mairs said that she had not read Climbié's file. The inquiry heard that the number of child protection police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service was reduced to increase the number of murder investigation officers because of the Stephen Lawrence case in 1993. A detective inspector supervising six child protection teams in London at the time of Climbié's death wrote a report criticising their competence. His former boss, however, claimed he had been lying when he said he only held "purely administrative" responsibility for the teams. The detective inspector was taken to hospital when a woman poured ink over his head while testifying. The new chief executive of Haringey council, David Warwick, Baptiste, the Metropolitan Police, and the NSPCC apologised for their failings in the case. Racial considerations: In his opening speech on 26 September 2001, Garnham said that race may have played a part in the case, due to the fact that a black child was murdered by her black carers, and the social worker and police officer most closely involved in the case were black. He said that the fear of being accused of racism may have led to the inaction. In the hearings, Arthurworrey, who is African-Caribbean, admitted that her assumptions about African–Caribbean families influenced her judgement, and that she had assumed Climbié's timidness in the presence of Kouao and Manning stemmed not from fear, but from the African–Caribbean culture of respect towards one's parents. Ratna Dutt, director of the Race Equality Unit (now the Race Equality Foundation), a charity that provides race-awareness training to social workers, later said, "the implicit message is that it's acceptable for ethnic minorities to receive poor services under the guise of superficial cultural sensitivity. This is absolutely shameful, as it allows people to argue that good practice is compromised by anti-racism"; and, contrasting the outcomes of the white and black staff members involved, "for a large number of black frontline staff if the finger of blame is pointed at them they don't end up in jobs in other local authorities. That's how institutional racism operates". Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary from 2007, said: "I have not seen widespread evidence that social workers are not taking action", and, "there are no cultures that condone child abuse. We are absolutely clear that social workers and social work departments have a responsibility to consider whether children are subjected to harm, and if they think they are, to take action". One chapter of the report following the inquiry looked at this issue. Aftermath- Laming report: When both phases of the inquiry were completed, Laming began writing the final report. The Laming report, published on 28 January 2003, found that the agencies involved in her care had failed to protect her, and that on at least twelve occasions, workers involved in her case could have prevented her death, particularly condemning the senior managers involved. On the day of the launch of the report, Climbié's mother sang her daughter's favourite song as a tribute. The 400-page report made 108 recommendations in child protection reform. Regional and local committees for children and families are to be set up, with members from all groups involved in child protection. Previously each local authority managed their own child protection register, a list of children believed to be at risk, and no national register existed; this, combined with local authorities' tendency to suppress information about child abuse cases, led to the implementation of the child database. Two organisations to improve the care of children, the General Social Care Council and the Social Care Institute for Excellence, had already been set up by the time the report was published. Criticism of agencies: Following Victoria Climbié's death, the agencies in the case, as well as the child services system in general, were widely criticised. Milburn said, "this was not a failing on the part of one service, it was a failing on the part of every service". Fox said Climbié's case amounted to "a shocking tale of individual professional failure and systemic incompetence". Burstow said, "there is a terrible sense of déjà vu in the Laming Report. The same weaknesses have led to the same mistakes, with the same missed opportunities to save a tortured child's life". Labour Party Member of Parliament Karen Buck said, "the Bayswater families unit told me that there must be hundreds of other Climbié cases waiting to happen", and "the Victoria Climbié inquiry highlighted how easy it is for vulnerable families to fall through the net, especially if they do not have English as a first language and are highly mobile". The 1999 Department of Health document, Working Together to Safeguard Children (now superseded), set out child protection guidance to doctors, nurses, and midwives. The Royal College of Nursing, however, said that there was evidence that many nurses did not receive proper training in these areas. Denise Platt, chief inspector of the social services inspectorate (SSI), said doctors, police officers and teachers often thought their only responsibility was to help social services, forgetting that they had a distinct role to play. Mike Leadbetter, president of the Association of Directors of Social Services, said that many health professionals were "not engaged in child protection". After the inquiry, there was a feeling that senior managers had managed to escape responsibility and that only junior staff members were punished. Burstow said, "the majority of children who die from abuse or neglect in this country know the perpetrator; it is within the family and by 'friends' that most abuse occurs. As a society we are still in denial about that hard truth". Criticism of the report: The Laming report was criticised by Caroline Abrahams and Deborah Lightfoot of NCH as too narrow, focusing too much on the particular case of Victoria Climbié and not on general child protection. According to Harry Ferguson, a professor of social work at the University of the West of England, "Laming's report focuses too heavily on the implementation of new structures and fails to understand the keen intuition that child protection work demands". He criticised the approach to child protection of focusing too much on the worst cases and trying too much to prevent them, rather than having an approach that also celebrates success; and said that focusing too much on any individual case and basing reforms on that was "deeply problematic". Laming responded to criticism by the Association of Directors of Social Services that his recommendations would require much more funding by saying that these arguments lacked "intellectual rigour", and he dismissed claims that his reforms would be too bureaucratic. The Guardian said that the report does not address the issues of frontline staff, Deryk Mead of NCH said, "I do believe that inquiry reports have made a positive difference to the child protection system, and I have every confidence that Lord Laming's report will do so too". Other: The Guardian discussed the media attention surrounding the case, noticing how sensational events received widespread coverage, yet important but less exciting events received less. It states that only it and The Independent of the national newspapers gave significant coverage to the evidence in the hearings. A possible explanation is given as, "much of the evidence has been concerned with social services, which many other papers view as a politically correct waste of money for the undeserving". In August 2002, Baptiste was fined £500 after being found guilty of deliberately failing to attend the inquiry. Climbié's parents, speaking through a family friend, said, "we, the family, expected her to be dealt with more severely". This was the first time a person had been prosecuted for not attending a public inquiry. In September 2002, Arthurworrey and Mairs were sacked following disciplinary procedures. The education secretary, Charles Clarke, also added them to the Protection of Children Act 1999 List, banning them from working with children. In October 2004, Arthurworrey appealed against her dismissal, saying that she was duped by Kouao and Manning, misled by medical reports, badly advised by her managers, and that she was a scapegoat for other people's failures, but the appeal was rejected. In 2005, she appealed the ban preventing her from working with children and won the case. In 2004, Mairs appealed her ban preventing her from working with children and won; this decision was challenged in the High Court but she prevailed. In 2004, six police officers involved in the case faced misconduct charges.[149] All six kept their jobs, and some received reprimands and cautions. In 2004, the General Medical Council dropped misconduct charges against Dr. Schwartz. Haringey council held a debate in the council chambers to discuss the Laming report. The parents of Victoria Climbié were invited to speak at the council by Councillor Ron Aitken, but the Council leader George Meehan denied them permission. Only pressure from the opposition and local press got the decision reversed. As George Meehan only reversed his decision just before the meeting, a driver was rushed to Acton to escort Francis and Berthe Climbié and Mor Dioum, their interpreter, to the council. At the meeting, the Climbiés attacked the council, through their interpreter, for its handling of the case, especially in its dealing with the Laming Inquiry. (Mor Dioum later went on to be the Director of the Victoria Climbié Foundation.) The government placed Haringey social services department under special measures, requiring close supervision by the social services inspectorate. Allegations emerged that in 2004 and 2005, senior managers at Haringey council ignored child abuse cases and "became hostile" against a social worker who sought to expose the abuse. Climbié's parents created the Victoria Climbié Foundation UK, a charity that seeks to improve child protection policies, and the Victoria Climbié Charitable Trust, an organisation to build a school in the Ivory Coast. They are also involved in championing many child protection reforms. A playwright, Lance Nielsen, wrote a play based on the events, staged at the Hackney Empire throughout 2002. After Climbié's death, commentators discussed the history of child protection and the various abuse and death cases, noting that there have been 70 public inquiries into child abuse since 1945, and comparing Climbié's case with that of many others, especially that of Maria Colwell in 1973. They pointed to the many children abused and killed by their guardians over the years and how the agencies involved in their care let them down. They noted similarly that their deaths also led to inquiries and reform policies—reforms that have not saved the many children killed following them. They pointed out that, "an average of 78 children are killed by parents or minders every year; a figure unaltered in the 30 years since Maria Colwell's death provoked the first criticism of 'communications failure'". They expressed cynicism towards the possibility that these reforms would be different. Dr. Chris Harvey, director of operations at Barnardo's, for example, said, "Victoria's tragic case is the latest in a sad roll-call of child deaths, each leading to fresh inquiries and a new but recurring set of recommendations". Ian Willmore, former deputy leader of Haringey council, said, "the 'script' for this kind of Iinquiry is now almost traditional. The Minister goes on TV to insist that: 'this must never happen again'. Responsibility is pinned on a few expendable front-line staff, all conveniently sacked in advance. Criticisms are made about poor communication, with earnest recommendations about better co-ordination and possible restructuring. Council officers—all new appointments—go on TV to say that everything has changed since the case began. Everyone looks very earnest. Voices crack with compassion. Nothing essential changes." In the United Kingdom, the Audit Commission regulate social services; John Seddon pointed out in The Times that "Haringey Council was rated 4-star at the time of Victoria Climbié and Baby P's deaths". Child protection changes: Climbié's death was largely responsible for various changes in child protection in England, including the formation of the Every Child Matters programme, an initiative designed to improve the lives of children; the introduction of the Children Act 2004, an Act of Parliament that provides the legislative base for many of the reforms; the creation of ContactPoint, a database designed to hold information on all children in England and Wales (now no longer in operation); and the creation of the post of children's commissioner, who heads the Office of the Children's Commissioner, a national agency serving children and families.

Coin-operated-locker babies

Coin-operated-locker babies are infants left in public lockers, occuring primarily in Japan and China. The presumption is that such lockers are regularly checked by attendants and the infant will be found quickly; however, many children are found dead. Between 1980 and 1990, there were 191 reported cases of infants that died in coin-operated lockers, which represents about six percent of all infanticides during that period.