Star’s killer smiles as she gets life jail
Baby’s murderer shows no remorse as child’s mother is given just 8 years
A BABY murderer smiled, made heart gestures, gave a thumbs-up and blew kisses to her family after being sentenced to 25 years in jail.
Savannah Brockhill, 28, showed no remorse as she was given a life sentence with the minimum term for the murder of 16-month-old Star Hobson.
Star’s mum, Frankie Smith, 20, who had been cleared of murder, wept as she was given an eight-year sentence for allowing the death of a child.
Smith, who has been on suicide watch in HMP Styal in Cheshire, could be out in four years after the judge said she would serve two-thirds of her term.
Pub bouncer Brockhill, an amateur boxer, who called herself the “number one psycho”, punched the toddler to death in Smith’s flat in Keighley, Yorkshire, on September 22 last year.
A postmortem revealed Star, who died of cardiac arrest, suffered injuries including a fractured skull like “crazy paving” and a broken leg that had been rebroken after mending.
Bradford Crown Court heard how social services received at least five referrals from friends and family but dismissed it as “malicious gossip”, it has been claimed. Justice Christina Lambert QC said yesterday Star’s short life “was marked by neglect, cruelty and injury”.
In her closing remarks, she said everyone who heard the evidence would ask: “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? The answer is clear to me. Star was caught up in the cross-fire of your relationship.”
Turning to Brockhill, who was found guilty of murder, the judge said the injuries inflicted on Star with a punch or kick to the stomach led to the toddler “bleeding to death”. She said: “The level of force required to inflict these injuries must have been massive, similar to those associated with a road traffic accident.
“Only you both know what triggered that fatal assault. The violent attack that led to Star’s death was not however an isolated event.” She warned Brockhill: “You will not be released from prison until the parole board considers it safe to do so, you may never be released.”
Addressing Smith, she said: “You were a neglectful parent, even before you began your relationship.” Smith cried throughout a victim impact statement from Star’s paternal grandad, Bernard Hobson, 55, who said Star had suffered a “living nightmare”.
He said hearing the evidence had been “unbearable”, adding his son Jordan had split with Smith before Star’s birth.
Mr Hobson said access to “adorable” Star was “cut off by Frankie” after lockdown began in March 2020.
They considered getting legal help but were worried that it would “make things worse”.
He said: “Our lives have changed for ever. We have asked ourselves endless tormenting questions. What did Star do to deserve her life, which had just begun, be snuffed out so prematurely?
“It was hard to comprehend a girl we knew could do something so heinous.”
Outside court, Star’s great-grandad David Fawcett, 61, said: “Frankie has said from the start, ‘I’m not bothered what I get, my life is over, I’ve lost my little girl’.”
Star’s babysitter Hollie Jones, 18, who was the first to alert social services, said: “I’m very happy about Savannah’s sentence but gutted about Frankie’s. They both played their part in Star’s abuse.”
You will not be released from prison until safe to do so, you may never be released JUSTICE CHRISTINA LAMBERT QC SENTENCING BROCKHILL TO A LIFE TERM