Frankie Smith exaggerated the loving characteristics of a mother and claimed that Star’s birth – complete with bright, blue eyes, cherubic faces, and beautiful, deep blue eyes – was the “best thing I have ever done.”
The 20-year old, who was born to a tight-knit, close-knit, and had relatives to support her during her early years as a mother, would later abandon her child to Savannah Brockhill’s unimaginable cruelty.
The self-described ‘psycho’, a bouncer/amateur boxer, would then end the situation by executing one last act of brutal violence on the defenseless child.
Yesterday, Smith was found guilty for allowing Star’s murder by Brockhill (28), who was also convicted of the crime. Emma Tustin was the stepmother to tragic 6-year-old Arthur Labinjo Hughes. Social services had ignored evidence that he was being tortured and put him in jail just 11 days before.
How did Frankie Smith become so callous that she would give her child to a monster to get rid of it?
Star was the victim of five family members who made 5 referrals to the social services within the time frame. So how could the authorities not have realized that Star was totally incapable of caring for herself?
Frankie Smith (20), mother to Star Hobson (16 months old), who was killed by Savannah Brockhill (28).
Smith, who wanted to date women while remaining heterosexual, began going out with Brockhill shortly after their first meeting in October 2019. She quickly became her favorite.
Smith was the son of Yvonne Spendley (Birmingham) and Andrew Smith.
She grew up in Baildon, a prosperous suburb blessed with plenty of green space, and attended Titus Salt School, according to local newspaper the Telegraph & Argus. According to Ofsted’s most recent inspection of the school, it was rated good by the Sir Titus Salt politician and philanthropist.
Smith was the half-brother and half-sister of a brother and a sister. However, Smith never went to school. Tests revealed that Smith’s IQ is just 70. This places her among the top two percent of the population.
A police psychiatrist said that she was also normally compliant and would follow orders.
Smith was separated from her parents and raised by Ms. Spendley as a child of one parent.
Her age was not appropriate for her, as she played with dolls at the tender age of 16. Jordan Hobson was her student boyfriend. She fell in love with Jordan a year later, and their relationship quickly ended. He returned to Sunderland University.
Star was created in May 2019.
Smith, who was interviewed by police after the death of her toddler, said that she worked at a supermarket and had been a committed mother since childhood.
“I loved” [Star]She told officers that she loved her more than any other thing in the world and would do anything to help her. “My money went to her always. I consider motherhood the greatest thing to have ever happened.
In reality, she was not interested in taking care of the child. While she would make sure that the toddler looked nice, she was not interested in doing all of the chores like feeding and cleaning up.
Brockhill and Smith are pictured together. Smith had an intelligence of 70, which was why she was totally in love with her girlfriend.
She would often leave Holly Jones as her babysitter and head out to Bradford pubs with her mother, Yvonne, on weekends.
Brockhill met Brockhill on one of these nights, as she was waiting at The Sun pub in Bradford.
Smith said that Smith described Smith as confident, outgoing, and very interested in Smith. “I loved her confidence, but she looked so different from other girls.
Smith, who wanted to date women while remaining heterosexual, began going out with Brockhill shortly after their first meeting in October 2019. She quickly fell in love with her.
Due to Brockhill’s travel history, some of Brockhills extended families were against the relationship.
The trial heard that these concerns later influenced the way the case was handled by the social services.
Faced with numerous referrals from concerned family members, social workers accepted Smith’s story that they were ‘malicious’ and motivated by prejudice, the jury were told.
The couple’s 11-month liaison was toxic from the start, with Smith becoming subservient to the domineering – and increasingly violent – Brockhill.
Brockhill made Smith feel guilty and forced her to adopt a rigid eating and sleeping schedule.
However, it went beyond that. Sometimes, she was a controlling persona that bordered on being a psychotic.
Brockhill beat Smith on several occasions. She left her with dark eyes and bruises all over her body.
She punched her once in the face, leaving her with a cracked tooth.
Brockhill advised Smith to avoid talking with men and anyone else interested in Smith’s new partner.
She even posted a video online with knife and bomb emojis and the message: ‘I am a psycho when it comes to my girlfriend and wouldn’t mind putting anyone in a [wheel]If they look at her incorrectly, she will be their chair for life. Keep safe, don’t message my girlfriend.’
Once, when Smith went out without her, she sent her more than 200 messages and calls, along with a video of Brockhill ‘licking blood off a wall’ and threatening ‘to stab someone tonight’.
Nevertheless, Smith became ‘obsessed’ with her older lover. The two would spend hours on the phone ignoring Star’s needs – when she was not actually being brutalised.
But Star’s plight did not go unnoticed; abuse such as this rarely does.
The first social services referral was made on January 23 last year – eight months before Star died.
Holly Smith, babysitter, noticed that Holly had been bruising and expressed concern about possible domestic abuse. Smith was visited by police and social workers.
There was no action taken.
The couple were clean and tidy in their housing association apartment. But then people who abuse children are ‘cunning and clever’ – words, of course, used to describe Brockhill in court.
The following month, after the first referral, Star went to stay with her great-grandmother Anita Smith and her partner, David Fawcett, for ten weeks because they thought her mother wasn’t coping.
Star gained weight, had no more bruises and is now a happy, healthy baby, at least temporarily.
On the day Smith came to take her back, a neighbour recalled how ‘Star was terrified and screaming down the path’.
Andrew Smith, Frankie’s dad, committed suicide in June. He had sent Frankie in prison a letter pledging to look after his murdered daughter Star. Pictured right is Star’s great grandfather, David Fawcett
Frankie Smith, barrister reveals to court that Frankie Smith herself is the victim of her pure evil’ partner in murdering her 16 month-old daughter.
Star Hobson’s mom was described by her lawyer as “another victim” of Star’s murderer.
Frankie Smith and Savannah Brockhill are being sent to prison for the death of Star, a 16-month old girl.
Zafar Ali QC addressed Bradford Crown Court. He said that Smith was herself a victim to the murder count after she lost her daughter.
“She clearly did not know how serious the abuses were on her daughter.”
Smith and Brockhill pictured together
Star’s family called Brockhill, 28-year-old security guard and bouncer, “pure evil” after Star was sentenced to death Tuesday for the crime of killing the child.
Star suffered months of psychological trauma and assaults before being able to recover in Keighley in West Yorkshire.
Smith (20 years old) was not convicted for murder, but he was found guilty of inciting or allowing the death of the child. This offense carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.
Today, Mr Ali requested Mrs Justice Lambert to consider a variety of factors before sendingencing Smith. These included that Smith has not been convicted in the past and she is “remorseful” for Star’s ill-treatment.
Kath Goddard QC represented Brockhill. She said that the client had sent a note to him on Wednesday morning. However, the judge did not take the note.
She described Brockhill’s arrest as a danger to her family and how Brockhill had attacked her brother-in law, leaving him with fractured skull.
Ms Goddard stated that the Brockhill families have been and will continue to face intimidation, or at least unhappiness, which is not their right.
“Miss Brockhill was very conscious of the fact that this had been brought on to her family.”
Just nine days later Mrs Smith contacted social services after, the court heard, learning about play-fights in the flat with Star that involved a ‘choke-slam’ wrestling manoeuvre.
Brockhill’s desire to cut Star’s hair according to gipsy traditions was another concern of Mr Fawcett. It may have contributed towards social services’ incorrect belief that Brockhill’s complaints were motivated through prejudice.
Star was comfortable with Brockhill when social workers visited.
No actions were taken.
The couple banned Mrs Smith from seeing Star and Mr Fawcett.
But in June the authorities were called in for the third time when Smith’s older sister Alicia Szepler took photographs of bruises on her niece and sent them to police.
The woman told the officers that Star was her brother and she had taken her food.
The allegations coincided with Star’s biological father, Jordan Hobson, who had also been sent the picture of his bruised daughter, voicing his concerns with social services.
The child was then taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary. The doctor who examined Star accepted Smith’s excuse that she bumped into a coffee table and sustained other bruising while playing with a puppy.
There was no action taken.
Two more referrals – the fourth and fifth – were made to social services by friends and relatives.
It was not taken.
Asked about the referrals under cross-examination, Smith said her grandmother was from a generation that sometimes had difficulty with gay relationships – but it was social services who actually used the word ‘malicious’ to describe the complaints, she insisted.
‘They said it to me,’ Smith told the jury.
She was pressed on this point by prosecutor Alistair MacDonald QC, who asked her: ‘At every social services referral you were convincing them they were malicious reports, they [her family] didn’t like your relationship?’ ‘Yes,’ she replied.
Star’s fleeting life came to an end after being ‘punched, stamped on, or kicked’ in the stomach, probably by Brockhill, while Smith left the living room to go to the bathroom, the court heard.
Star suffered from bleeding due to the savagery of September 2013.
Instead of dialling 999, the two people who were supposed to protect her Googled ‘how to bring a baby out of shock’ and there was an 11-minute delay as Brockhill attempted CPR before calling an ambulance.
Star died by the moment she arrived at hospital.
Smith informed her mother that she was in the ambulance to the hospital and had left Star’s room before going to Brockhill.
Smith then agreed to the girlfriend’s request that she lie about what had happened. She claimed that Brockhill and Brockhill were both outside of the room, and they only entered the room after hearing a “bang”.
Smith’s parents knew the terrible truth. Andrew took Smith’s life in June. He sent Smith a note from prison in which he promised to take care of his child.
Smith revealed the truth midway through the trial to the jury. Brockhill had killed Star and Smith had not done anything to stop her.
Their sentencing today may finally achieve justice for the toddler – but it is only the start of another reckoning for social services and society as a whole.
Brockhill (28), and Smith (20) were sentenced for Star Hobson’s murder.
Star was severely bruised by Star, and police released an awful photo of Star that attracted the attention of family members who called social services.