Star Hobson: Murdered toddler's family mark third birthday

Relatives of murdered toddler Star Hobson say they are still coming to terms with her death as they prepare to mark her third birthday.

The 16-month-old died in September 2020 after months of "neglect, cruelty and injury" by her mother and her partner.

Great-granddad David Fawcett said awaiting a review into Star's death - expected this month - had been "stressful".

He hopes a memorial event on Saturday will bring her family together.

Mr Fawcett said the gathering, in Roberts Park, Saltaire, was part of a series of events and activities being held to remember the toddler.

Frankie Smith is serving 12 years for causing or allowing her daughter's death while Savannah Brockhill, 28, was sentenced to life for Star's murder.

A seven-week trial heard Star had endured a campaign of physical and psychological abuse at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, while "caught in the crossfire" of the pair's toxic relationship.

Mr Fawcett said the approach of Star's birthday "brings it all back", and was difficult for great-grandmother, Anita Smith.

"She just cries saying 'she should be here, she should be here with us'," he said.

The family, who would have celebrated Star's third birthday on 21 May, were still trying to "make sense of everything," said Mr Fawcett, from Baildon, near Bradford.

"We go to her grave couple times a week and take fresh flowers and we'll be doing something special for her at her grave on her birthday."

"We've had a couple of occasions since we lost Star - a balloon release last November, there was one at Christmas - and this event will be very similar with a lot of people attending."

He said the fundraiser on Saturday "would help everyone to come together" including Star's family.

"Before we all lived very close to each other but since Star's death, we're all a bit disjointed. We're not all together like how we used to be," he said.

"We're living in different areas now and it's hard. So trying to get the family back together really."

Hollie Jones, Star's former babysitter and the first person to raise concerns about the toddler with social services, said: "It really upsets me that it could've been her third birthday and it saddens a lot of people.

"The fact is that she's missed two birthdays now and it makes me really down to think that she could've done so many things that other children do."

She said the infant's murder and subsequent trial had "taken a toll" on her mental health and she had sought help as a result.

Ms Jones's referral to Bradford Council in January 2020 was the first of five alerts from concerned relatives and family members, who had spotted signs of the physical and emotional abuse Star was experiencing.

The national review into Star's death and the death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes - a six-year-old killed by his stepmother - is due to be published later this month.

"It's a lot to take in really, it's quite stressful," said Mr Fawcett.

"I'm just hoping with this review they'll [social services] learn from the mistakes they've made.

"We don't want other families to go through what we've been through."

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