By Gabriel Princewill-
The mother of Star Hobson- the helpless young child cruelly murdered by a lesbian couple- could face more time in prison for her role in the toddler’s death, after a ruling by the government’s top legal adviser referring her case to the Court Of Appeal for consideration of a much lengthier sentence than the slap on the wrist sentence given to her.
In December, Star’s mother, Frankie Smith, 20, (pictured )was handed a mild eight-year sentence for causing or allowing her daughter’s death, whilst her bouncer and security guard partner ,Savannah Brockhill, 28 – was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years.
Smith’s lawyer had argued in mitigation that his client belonged to the bottom 2 % of intelligence-previously referred to a mentally retarded- but in today’s terms considered a very low intelligence. Such low intelligence ostensibly absolved her from the full accountability of her complicit role in the killing of her daughter, failing to try to prevent it, but after much consideration, the Attorney General confirmed that the sentence handed to her demented partner, Frankie Smith, who was also the mother of the young child, was too lenient and should be increased.
The Attorney General, who is the chief legal adviser to the Crown who holds a number of independent public interest functions and also oversees the Law Officers’ departments, confirmed that there would be no review of the 25 year sentence given to her evil partner Savannah Brochill who must serve a minimum of parole before consideration for parole,
The Case
The case featured one of the most horrifying details of neglect and torture, eventually culminating in the murder of an innocent child who had every reason to depend on the callous adults, who occasionally filmed the ordeal to which they had subjected the toddler.
Sixteen-month-old Star Hobson died on 22 September 2020 after being beaten to death in the flat she shared with her mother, Frankie Smith, in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
Her monstrous mother, Frankie Smith, admitted child cruelty half way through the trial at Bradford crown court, but pointed the finger to her partner, Savannah Brockhill, a 28-year-old amateur boxer and security guard, whom she accused of killing Star.
The pair had been in a “toxic” relationship for 11 months at the time of Star’s death, but this was no excuse for their inhumane treatment of a defenseless child under their charge.
Instead of calling an ambulance when the child was dying, the two social misfits went on the internet googling “shock in babies” and “how to bring a baby out of shock”, 11 minutes before Smith’s phone texted 999.
The Attorney General, Suella Braverman QC, today ordered a review of the prison term given to Smith after complaints that it was unduly lenient.
In a statement, Ms Braverman said: “This case will have caused upset to anyone who read about it, but my job is to decide if a sentence appears to be too low based solely on the facts of the case.
“I have carefully considered the details of this case, and I concluded that I can refer Frankie Smith’s sentence to the Court of Appeal as I believe it is unduly lenient.
“However, I have concluded that I cannot refer Savannah Brockhill’s sentence.
“I can only challenge a sentence if it is not just lenient but unduly so, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence.
“The threshold is a high one, and the test was not met in this case.”
Attorney General: Suella Bruverman
A spokesperson for The Attorney General told The Eye Of Media.Com before the official announcement was made that a decision to have a sentenced review was not necessarily a reflection on poor judicial discretion of judges but a considersatio9n of
Requests are made to the Attorney General’s Office, which then decides if the case should be referred to the Court of Appeal. The appeal court decides the revised length of the sentence.
It will now be up to the Court of Appeal to decide what sentence Smith should receive.
A date for that hearing has not yet been set.
Ms Braverman added: “This is a tragic and extremely upsetting case and my thoughts are with all those who loved Star Hobson.
“This vulnerable and innocent child was subjected to continued physical abuse, and her mother, Frankie Smith, allowed it to happen.”
Jurors at Bradford Crown Court heard that Smith’s family and friends had expressed increasing fears about bruising they saw on the little girl in the months before she died.
Social workers were alerted to those concerns, but were successfully fooled by both Savannah and Smith that marks were accidental or that the complaints were made maliciously by people who did not like their relationship.
The baby sitter who alerted social workers berated them openly for informing the deviant couple in advance of their visit, rather than making a surprise visit to check on the child’s well being. It was a show of abysmal level of incompetence on the part of the inept social workers who did a disservice to their profession by inadvertently bringing it to disrepute.
Tragic: Star was cruelly murdered Image:FacebookSentencing Brockhill and Smith, judge Mrs Justice Lambert said Star’s ‘short life was marked by neglect, cruelty and injury’.
She was found to have suffered two brain injuries, numerous ribs fractures, the fracture and refracture of her leg, and a skull fracture when she died.
No date has yet been fixed for the Court Of Appeal case.