A woman who murdered her partner’s 16-month-old daughter has been jailed for a minimum of 25 years.
Savannah Brockhill caused “catastrophic” injuries to Star Hobson, whose mother Frankie Smith was sentenced to eight years for causing or allowing the toddler’s death.
Judge Mrs Justice Lambert said Star’s “short life was marked by neglect, cruelty and injury”.
Family members spoke of their “devastating loss” prior to sentencing.
Sentencing Brockhill, Mrs Justice Lambert said she had “shown no remorse” for Star’s killing, which she had denied.
The judge told Smith she had played “a significant role” in her child’s death and said: “This is something you have to live with for the rest of your life.”
She told the pair they had “both behaved in a cruel and callous way” towards the toddler, who became “caught up in the crossfire” of the women’s tempestuous, violent relationship.
Mrs Justice Lambert said a “fatal punch or kick” from Brockhill on 22 September 2020 had caused damage to internal organs including the liver, pancreas and kidneys and effectively caused Star to bleed to death.
She said the violent attack was “not an isolated event” and “numerous other injuries were identified on Star’s body” after her death.
“Those injuries included two brain injuries; numerous rib fractures; a longitudinal fracture and then re-fracture of Star’s tibia and a fracture to the back of Star’s skull,” she said.
IMAGE SOURCE,WEST YORKSHIRE POLICEDuring a seven-week trial, jurors heard how Brockhill, a 28-year-old security guard, delivered a total of 21 blows to the infant in a car over a period of nearly three hours just weeks before her death.
Brockhill and Smith had filmed their “callous” and “frank cruelty” in the run-up to Star’s death on mobile phones, with hours of footage shown in court.
One clip showed the toddler, who was “clearly desperately in need of sleep”, falling off a plastic chair while dozing and hitting the floor – edited with visual effects and comical background music by Brockhill, who sent it to friends with the words, “I’ve laughed so hard.”
Other clips included that of Star’s face falling into a bowl of food because she was too tired.
‘Jealous fights’
Mrs Justice Lambert told the couple, who were both in the dock at Bradford Crown Court: “The question which those who have watched the evidence in this trial unfold will be asking is why anyone would, or could, behave in such a way towards a young and vulnerable child who should be cherished and protected rather than abused and neglected.”
Messages sent between the two women portrayed a relationship of “petty squabbles and jealous fights” which, often fuelled by alcohol, escalated into “violent threats and ultimatums”, she added.
“Star was, however, the victim of these pointless and self-absorbed rows. You, Savannah Brockhill, took your anger out on Star by punching and slapping her. Frankie, you were cruel towards Star, punishing her pointlessly for perceived bad behaviour,” Mrs Justice Lambert said.
IMAGE SOURCE,DAVID FAWCETTIn her sentencing remarks, Mrs Justice Lambert described Smith as having a “low IQ of only 70” and as being “unusually compliant”.
She said Smith was a neglectful parent who “thought only of her own interests” even before her relationship with Brockhill began, and said the older woman would “lash out at Star when in a jealous rage”.
The judge said Smith had “failed” to contact police, authorities or family when the abuse had become apparent from bruises and marks appearing on Star’s face and body.
“Instead, you continued your relationship with her for your own ends. You allowed Savannah Brockhill into your flat on 22 September. You gave her unsupervised access to Star, with fatal consequences,” Mrs Justice Lambert told Smith.
‘No remorse’
During the Bradford Crown Court hearing, Star’s paternal grandfather Bernard Hobson read an emotional victim impact statement describing the effect of the murder on her family.
He paused numerous times as he told the court their lives had been “forever blighted” by the loss of their “beautiful baby girl”.
The judge also paid tribute to Smith’s friend Hollie Jones, who was the first person to raise concerns to social services and had “tried to protect Star”.
She further thanked members of Star’s family for the care they had provided the toddler during her short life.
The court heard how Brockhill’s family had suffered a spate of attacks in the wake of the charges, with the judge telling her: “You brought this on yourself and upon them.
“You have shown no remorse during the trial or even following your conviction.”
