From Star's Great Grandparents, David Fawcett and Anita Smith:
21st May 2019 was the day little Star came into this world. I was cycling from Edinburgh to Aberdeen. Starting on the train Saturday morning and finishing in the afternoon on Monday in Aberdeen. I was up early the next day to take the train back home. At 07:10am, I got a phone call - it was Frankie. Knowing the baby was due any day, she kept in touch with me whilst I was away. She said, "she's here, a little girl, born at 06:54am, 7lb 7oz". I thought, that was only 15 minutes ago! Frankie said, "she's perfect and it was such an easy birth". I couldn't wait to see them.
At the start of her life, Star was called Esme, a name that Frankie had picked beforehand, but soon she was having second thoughts. When Frankie and Jordan (Star's Dad) went to register the birth, they came back and said, "we have named her Star".
Frankie lived at the family home with all her sisters and brother, which was about 100 yards from where Anita lived, so we were seeing little Star every day. Frankie had plenty of family members around to help look after baby Star and would often leave her with us if she needed to go anywhere.
From the start, Star was a poorly baby spending a couple of weeks in hospital with stomach reflux. We were all glad when she came home and was on the mend. Throughout the summer we enjoyed Star's company. Star's father was at university and had little time to spend with Star. It was in the autumn of that year, Star just under six months old, when things started to change. Frankie met Savannah Brockhill in a bar in Bradford and soon Savannah started visiting the family home. It was a volatile relationship from the start and they frequently fell out.
It was early February 2020 that things took a turn for the worse. Frankie couldn't cope and asked Anita if she could take Star and look after her until she sorted herself out. Me and Anita went to the house to get little Star. Star looked like a depressed little baby. We brought her home with us.
From that day Star thrived. She was clean, eating well and happy. She loved a sink bath. Star also loved listening to music, dancing away in her baby walker listening to tunes. Anita had a morning paper round and she would take Star along with her. Everyone got to know her. If Star was doing something mischievous she would look at you with her cheeky face and smile. Baby Star was very photogenic. She would sit and stare right at the camera. We managed to get some wonderful photos of her in the short time we has her staying with us. We managed to get a couple of videos of Star too. It was in lockdown amd I started playing the guitar again. Star was fascinated. I played along to 'It's All About You' whilst Anita filmed. There was only one star in that video and that was Baby Star. This was 24th April 2020. Two days later on 26th April, I played along to a Beatles song and she was just fantastic. What a wonderful day we had with Star that day. Sadly, that was the last day she stayed with us after three months of us all together, Star, me, Anita and Ben (Star's uncle). We had the best three months ever.
Frankie came and collected Star. Frankie was back with 'the monster' (Savannah) who was calling all the shots. From that day, we were stopped from seeing Star. We were to see her just two more times. In July, we still had gifts for her from her birthday in May. We saw her whilst 'the monster' wasn't around but she found out and then there was trouble. The final time we saw Star was in mid-August, just five weeks before we lost her. Alicia (Star's Auntie) scooped her up while Star was back at the family home and ran down to Anita's house with her. We had a wonderful time but it was very brief. Alicia took her back to the house and that was the last time we embraced Star.
Just a handful of weeks later, on 22nd September 2020, the tragic, surreal call came that Baby Star was gone. A day we'll never forget. She grew her wings and we had to face life without her. She could have been saved, she should have been saved. She'll forever be our Baby Star and we will remember her always in all that we do. She is missed beyond words and measure. We will never truly heal.
Until we meet again Baby Star.
From the Foundation:
Frankie, as a mother, needed a lot of support from the day Star was born. She had this in friends and family, but external support was not as available as it should have been.
When Frankie met Savannah, Star's life would take a dark turn that her family would never be able to facilitate her return from, despite their every effort to. Primarily because services that should have helped them to do this ignored them and weren't adequate.
Savannah intially made her way into the family home, stomped her authority, created fear, made threats and then made her move to isolate Frankie and Star by moving them to Keighley.
Star was, heartbreakingly, seen as a weapon for Savannah. Initially, it was purposeful to keep Star close - to create emotional turmoil for Star's family members. Then it was not helpful to have Star close as Savannah wanted to further coerce Frankie into her way of beliefs and thinking. Frankie dropped Star off at her Great Grandparents. This was Star's happy, healthy place. This is where she was loved, nurtured and she thrived.
Star was abruptly removed from her Great Grandparents when Frankie collected her three months later. This was tactical for the couple and timed by Savannah. Concerns of abuse would quickly start to amount from this point. Photo evidence was collected and shared with the relevant authorities. This was not responded to appropriately nor was sufficient investigation given to the family's concerns. The couples' accusation of malicious intent was too readily accepted by Social Workers. Star was not protected by the very authorities whose very purpose it is to protect vulnerable children and those at risk. Early help and antenatal support was not provided even in Star's earliest days. Too many opportunities to intervene were missed.
A family was left destroyed and beautiful Star gone on 22nd September 2020.
Star's story could have had a very different ending if desperate and concerned family members were heard, services were adequate and authorities worked together.
Star's story is one of child abuse, domestic abuse, serious failings, devastation and heart break. Star was robbed of her right to life and love. Devastatingly Star's story is not an isolated one and in fact a far too frequent one.
Star will shine brightly forever and never be forgotten, as will all victims of child abuse and domestic abuse.
For more information please follow the links below. Thank you.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-61583401.amp
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61509043