Couple guilty of girl's murder

A woman and her partner have been found guilty of murdering her four-year-old daughter.Sharon Wright, 23, and Peter McKenzie-Seaton, 22, both denied murdering Leticia Aaliyah Wright.Paramedics found the girl lying bruised and naked on the living room floor at their home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, on the night of November 18 last year.She was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary where she died of multiple injuries.During the four-week trial at Bradford Crown Court, the jury was told the youngster died after suffering "sustained, deliberate and brutal" abuse which left her with injuries equivalent to a major road traffic accident.She was covered in bruises - old and new - as well as cigarette burns and bite marks.Doctors described the back of her head as a "boggy mass". Her scalp showed signs of infection.Forensics officers found clumps of Leticia's hair in a wheelie bin outside the house.Traces of her blood were left on her soiled clothes, on a pair of fur-lined handcuffs retrieved from the kitchen and in "swipe marks" left by her hair on the living room wall.Her body was covered from head to toe in more than 100 injuries, which police believe were inflicted in the last four weeks of her life.Wright blamed Seaton for the injuries, accusing him of going into a rage because he did not have any cannabis.The court heard he smoked up to £140 worth of skunk - a potent form of the drug - every week.Seaton admitted biting Leticia but denied causing the fatal injuries. He told the court he was never left to look after her alone.In the weeks preceding her death, neighbours saw Leticia standing in a "vigil" at her bedroom window.There was little sign of family life at the house and the curtains were always drawn.The girl looked sad but would smile and wave back at the neighbours who waved up at her.Two of them were so concerned for Leticia's welfare that they contacted Kirklees Council, and on October 13 two social workers visited the house.Linda Blackie and Nicola Stephenson found Leticia to be of normal weight with no obvious marks, but she was initially quiet and when asked to fetch her toys she came back with hair grabs and a pink cup.After checking back that Leticia had been registered with a local nursery, Leticia's file was closed. She stopped attending the nursery after one week.Paul Johnson, head of safeguarding at Kirklees Council and a member of the Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board, defended the local authority's handling of the case.He said a council review carried out by an "independent professional" concluded Leticia's death "could not have been foreseen.But he conceded how "certain aspects could have been handled differently".He said: "The death of any young child under whatever circumstances is very sad and tragic."In Leticia's case, because different services had contact with the family, we decided that the review would be conducted by an independent professional totally unconnected with the council."In all cases of this nature issues arise about how certain aspects could have been handled differently."© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | August 10, 2007

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