The Murderous Dads of Dorcaster (Dorcaster, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom)

Doncaster: the new safe haven for murderous fathers. And wouldn't you know that the children's services agencies just never seem to have their act together--at least in time to save the murdered children.

A Who's Who of the Murderous Dads:

JAMES HOWSON murdered his 16-month-old daughter in December 2007 when he took the baby over his knee and snapped her spine in two. He also punched and slapped her, and twisted her arms and legs, leaving her with fractures in her arms, legs, and ribs. Over this poor baby's short life, this unemployed thug inflicted over 40 injuries. She was also, not surprisingly, malnourished and dehydrated.

CRAIG GODDARD murdered his 3-month-old son in May 2008. When the baby had the audacity to start crying (there it is again, this thing that dads have with crying infants), Goddard squeezed the baby, shook him, and threw him to the floor. The baby died two days later of a fatal head injury. Daddy had also been drinking and smoking pot, which might have made him just a bit ill-tempered.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1195492/Doncaster-social-workers-missed-opportunities-help-baby-girl-died-spine-snapped-violent-father.html

Social workers 'missed three key opportunities' to save baby girl murdered by violent father

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:31 PM on 25th June 2009

A serious case review into the death of a 16-month-old child who died after her spine was snapped by her father identified 'key missed opportunities' today where agencies could have intervened with her family.

Amy Howson, who died in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, had also been punched and slapped on numerous occasions and left with fractures to her arms, legs and ribs by her violent father, James Howson, who was later found guilty of murder.

The serious case review into Amy's death is one of two being published today into the deaths of youngsters murdered in Doncaster - a town at the centre of a controversy about the number of children known to social workers who have died since 2004.

The deaths of Amy Howson and Alfie Goddard placed the local authority under the national spotlight after it emerged that seven children had died while under the care of Doncaster Council's children's services department since 2004.

Sixteen-month-old Amy died in December 2007 after her spine was snapped in two.

Her father, James Howson from Nelson Road, Doncaster, was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison after the 'chilling and brutal' murder, in which he twisted the arms and legs of his 16-month-old daughter before breaking her back over his knee.
In the two months before the final barbaric act, the unemployed 25-year-old had inflicted more than 40 injuries on his daughter.

The toddler was malnourished and dehydrated and had been punched and slapped on numerous occasions and left with fractures to her arms, legs and ribs by her violent father.

Alfie, from the Toll Bar area of Doncaster, was just three months old when he died at Sheffield Children's Hospital in May 2008.

A post-mortem examination showed he had suffered a fatal head injury two days earlier. His father, Craig Goddard, 24, squeezed, shook and then threw him to the floor after he lost his temper when he refused to stop crying. Goddard had been drinking and had smoked several cannabis joints.

Goddard was sentenced to life in prison and will serve a minimum of 11 years.

Doncaster Council's child protection failings led to the authority being one of only four in the country to be given the lowest one-star rating by the Audit Commission, alongside Haringey, Surrey and Milton Keynes.

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes ordered an urgent review of the authority's child protection service after a review into the death of a baby exposed a 'chaotic and dangerous' situation.

A routine Ofsted inspection branded children's services in the town 'inadequate', prompting ministers to order independent experts to investigate the local authority.

Doncaster Council has just appointed former NSPCC national director Roger Thompson as the new independent chairman of its Safeguarding Children Board.

The mounting criticism prompted the then mayor of Doncaster, Martin Winter, to announce that he would not be standing for re-election in June following concern over children's services in the borough.