Pelka Death 'Must Lead To Closer Cooperation'

Police, social services, doctors and teachers could be told to change the way they share information following the death of Daniel Pelka.

The four-year-old was starved and beaten to death by his abusive mother and stepfather last year.

A serious case review found evidence of repeated failures by the agencies responsible for his care, although it said no one could have predicted his death.

Home Secretary Theresa May told Sky News there were “lessons to be learned” from the report.

“I think all the agencies have recognised that we need to look at how information is shared between people,” she said.

Daniel was terrorised at his home in Coventry by Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek, who starved him, held him under water in a bath and subjected him to a campaign of abuse.

The pair, originally from Poland, were convicted of his murder earlier this year and ordered to spend a minimum of 30 years in prison.

Doctors who examined Daniel after his death last March found he had 40 separate injuries and described him as looking like a concentration camp victim.

However, none of the professionals who worked with the youngster raised serious concerns about his wellbeing, despite him turning up at hospital with a broken arm and rooting through school bins for food.

The review found Luczak and Krezolek misled authorities by lying about his injuries and pretending he had an eating disorder, rendering Daniel “invisible” to health professionals.

But it highlighted how overworked children’s services staff missed opportunities to help, including 27 reports of domestic violence to police.

Claude Knight, chief executive of the charity Kidscape, said: “The professionals around Daniel seemed to be doing their own thing … there was no joined up thinking and it was as if all the pieces of the jigsaw were left scattered.”

The report’s author, Ron Lock, added: “At no point were practitioners who had contact with him prepared to think the unthinkable and consider that he might be suffering abuse.

“If professionals had used more enquiring minds, and been more focused in their intentions to address concerns, it’s likely that Daniel would have been better protected from the people who killed him.”

The review, by the Coventry Safeguarding Children Board , published 15 recommendations aimed at preventing such a failure happening again.

Agencies have been told to look at how they receive and act on reports of domestic abuse, and to review how they work with other public bodies.

Martin Reeves, chief executive of Coventry City Council, said: “Professionals didn’t have the whole picture. Daniel’s voice wasn’t heard at all.

“Arguably they are basic errors, but we have to put this against a backdrop of social care workers, police, health colleagues working every day making what some would argue are impossible judgement calls on child protection.”

Pelka Death 'Must Lead To Closer Cooperation'