AMELIA CRICHTON, 7mths
AMELIA Crichton died of head injuries and her mum Jennifer was jailed for 21 years for the 2017 murder. She was also convicted of causing serious injuries to a child in a case dating back to 2004 – and known about at the time by the authorities.
Crichton, 37, of Leyland, Lancs, had a child in 2015 and, despite a risk assessment, was allowed to move out of foster care. Amelia was born in 2016 at just 24 weeks with serious health problems.
Her grandad Nicholas Quested, 63, said: “I support this Mirror campaign. With Amelia, it’s like history repeating itself. A carbon copy of 2004. It sounds harsh but I would have preferred her to have been taken away altogether. She would have been safe.”
■■WE demand a change to the legal presumption that contact with both parents is in the best interests of the child. ■■We want to see those with a proven history of violent crime or child abuse presumed unsafe for unsupervised contact.
■■We also call for better training for decision makers.
POWER COUPLE Sussexes will be big in America
MASKED Prince Charles
PRINCE Charles was allowed to see his father yesterday as the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh spent his fifth day in hospital.
The heir to the throne, 72, appeared emotional as he was driven away from London’s King Edward VII’s Hospital shortly before 4pm. The hospital previously said bosses were following Covid guidelines, which say that visitors are only allowed in “exceptional circumstances”.
A palace source yesterday said Prince Philip, inset, had been in hospital “for longer than expected” and is set to stay there until next week.
THE late comedian Caroline Aherne will be remembered in a moving tribute show as part of the BBC’s Festival of Funny.
Her former Fast Show colleague John Thomson will present some of Caroline’s best clips in a programme called Caroline Aherne At The BBC. The half-hour show will include scenes from The Mrs Merton Show and The Royle Family.
Caroline – who also provided voiceovers on Gogglebox for Channel 4 – was just 52 when she died of lung cancer in July 2016. Her tribute show will be aired some time between late February and mid-March as comedy takes over much of the corporation’s output.
A similar celebration of Tommy Cooper’s work at the BBC will be presented by Sir Lenny Henry. The Beeb will also broadcast the 2014 90-minute special Dave Allen On Life, the 2018 two-part series Billy Connolly Made in Scotland and Victoria Wood’s 2001 stand-up show, Victoria at the Albert.