Baby killer was given ‘medium risk’ rating
A MAN who killed his 16-day-old baby daughter had been assessed as presenting a ‘medium risk’ by the probation service, an inquest heard.
Matthew Higham beat Florence Higham to death at their home in Shaw Heath, Stockport, on July 29 2015. He was jailed for life in January last year after confessing to her murder, although he maintains that he has no memory of the incident.
He appeared in court in November 2014 for breaching the restraining order Florence’s mum Sharon Collins had taken out against him after he assaulted her six months previously, and was given a conditional discharge.
Despite the fact that he had moved to Stockport from Liverpool, he was still under the care of probation services in Liverpool, which assessed him as being medium risk.
Although an official transfer of his case to Stockport never took place, Stockport probation officer Sarah Conroy met with Higham at the request of Liverpool probation, along with Craig Lupton from Stockport social services.
Giving evidence in court, Ms Conroy said it was her understanding that following the court appearance on November 12 2014 Higham was living with Ms Collins’ mum, on the same street as her and their first child.
The two-bedroom house had two adults and four children living in it at the time, though Ms Conroy said she had been unaware that there were children living there.
She said she did not feel that this was a suitable address, due to the proximity to Ms Collins’ home, but that she did not have the power to ask Higham to find somewhere else to live. He was never formally told it was unsuitable, the court heard.
Higham admitted to Ms Conroy that prior to the court case he had been living with Ms Collins, in breach of his restraining order, for around three or four months. The court also heard that in October 2014 Ms Collins was noted to have a black eye, and Higham claimed she had fallen over some shoes.
He was arrested at the house on November 5 for breaching the order. Ms Conroy said: “Given what we had learned I thought the risk level should be reassessed.”
A reassessment was eventually carried out – again by probation services in Liverpool – in December 2014 but the risk was not escalated and remained as medium.
Proceeding