The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Dad of murdered Tyler’s law change plea to stop deaths
Eight years after Tyler Whelan was murdered his dad is appealing to change the law to prevent others suffering the same fate, reports Stephen Briggs
The father of murdered Peterborough schoolboy Tyler Whelan has called for changes to the law to prevent other children suffering the same fate.
Tyler was just five when he was brutally attacked by his mum’s boyfriend, Elvis Lee, at their home in Paston in 2011.
Lee kicked the boy across the room in a fit of rage, causing fatal injuries. Lee had also bitten Tyler on the leg
Lee was given a life sentence the following year after being found guilty of murder.
Despite social services getting involved with Tyler after concerns were raised when he broke his leg, Tyler’s dad, Shaun Harrison, was never told about the concerns un- it was too late. Social services also never visited Tyler at home where Lee lived with the boy’smum,StephanieWhelan.
Lee had previous convictions for domestic abuse of a previous partner, and had been ordered to take part in a domestic violence programmes as a result. He was also known to have been violent to Stephanie Whelan at least once, and a neighbour also reported child safety concerns before the tragic incident.
Tyler had broken his leg in 2010, and doctors were told he had fallen on the stairs, when his mother took Tyler to hospital the day after the injury.
Doctors raised concerns it had taken so long to take Tyler to hospital, and also about bruises elsewhere on Tyler’s body. However, they found the broken leg was consistent with an accident on the stairs.
A meeting between police, Children’s Social Care and the Probation Service was called - but Tyler was allowed to go home.
Along with Lee’s jail term, Tyler’s mum was locked up for four years after being found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.
Now, as Tyler would have been about to become a teenager, Mr Harrison is calling for the law to be changed to offer children like Tyler more protection.
He said: “Social services didn’t see Tyler at home. They should have been there to see what was going on. When he broke his leg, doctors phoned them to say it might not have been an accident. They should have gone to see what was going on. I was not told when sotil cial services were called when Tyler broke his leg. I should have been. If I thought there was any concern about the safety of Tyler, I would have been in my car picking up that instant.
“I don’t believe Tyler’s death was predictable - but I believe it was preventable.
“Unless there is a specific reason, the biological parents should be told when social services get involved, by law. I didn’t know social services were involved until the serious case review and trial happened. I was shocked when I heard what had happened.”
Mr Harrison, who lives in Wigan, has now contacted his MP, Lisa Nindy, in an attempt to get the law changed.
He is due to meet Mrs Mindy next month.
He said: “Every time I see a child that has been murdered in the news, it brings everything back. It is heartbreaking.
“I am still unable to get over the grieving process. I still feel like the way I did when Tyler died.
“Tyler was let down by social services and so was I. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I have been through. It felt like I had no rights in my life. We were failed so badly.
“I am trying to get legal aid to sue Peterborough Social Services, as well as try to change the law.”
Mr Harrison, who now has two young sons, said he was still struggling following the death of Tyler.
He said: “I still don’t like leaving the house. My family have been a big support, but we are not as close as we were.
“I don’t believe Tyler’s death was predictable - but it was preventable”
Shaun Harrison