Specialist Calls For Lessons To Be Learnt From Lovell-Hancox Case

A child abuse specialist at Irwin Mitchell has called for the concerning findings of the serious case review into the death of a three-year-old boy in Wolverhampton to be acted on immediately.

The report into the death of Ryan Lovell-Hancox, who died of a brain injury and suffered over 70 injuries at the hands of the couple meant to be caring for him, claimed that 14 agencies failed to intervene in order to protect him.

Christopher Taylor and Kayley Boleyn, who were looking after Ryan at the request of his mother, were jailed last year for murder and child cruelty. Authorities were thought to have been aware of both of them.

The review has made 60 recommendations following the inquiry into the case, with specific concerns raised over communication between agencies and the possibility that staff were “overburdened”.

Luke Daniels, an expert at Irwin Mitchell who represents victims who have suffered physical and psychological trauma as a result of child abuse and neglect, said lessons clearly need to be learnt from the review.

He explained: “It is simply unacceptable that children in need of help should be deprived of the support and protection they need as a result of ultimately preventable problems in areas including communication.

“Coordination between agencies responsible for helping and protecting youngsters is vital if they are to get the attention they undoubtedly deserve.

“The same mistakes seen in this case cannot be allowed to happen again and we look forward to seeing how each of the agencies involved in this case is working to improve standards and procedures.

“We see far too many cases in which authorities fail to help children and other vulnerable members of society – this has to stop.”

If you or a loved one has been the victim of child abuse, our child abuse claims specialists could help you get justice and claim compensation. Call 0370 150 100 to talk confidentially to someone about making a claim or visit our Abuse & Criminal Injury Claims page for more information.