The mother of the murdered toddler Star Hobson has had her eight-year prison sentence for causing or allowing her daughter's death extended to 12 years.
Star Hobson was just sixteen months old when she was murdered by her mother's girlfriend, Savannah Brockhill.
In December last year at Bradford Crown Court, Brockhill was jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years behind bars whilst her mother, Frankie Smith, was also found guilty of causing or allowing her daughter's death and given an eight-year jail term.
At the time that sentence was described as unduly lenient, and this morning the appeal court heard that there had been several 'aggravating factors' including an eleven-minute delay before an ambulance had been called.
Three senior judges agreed that this, combined with the child's vulnerability, warranted a more severe jail term and have now extended Frankie Smith's sentence to 12 years in jail.
Due to the young age of Ms. Smith, who is just twenty herself, she will serve her sentence in a Young Offender's Institution.
During today's appeal representatives for the Attorney General argued that, in the initial trial, too much importance had been given to mitigating factors.
Representatives pointed to the extent of Brockhill's abuse of the child and said that there was evidence Smith had been a neglectful and cruel mother, even before entering into a relationship with her child's killer.
They also argued that Smith's youth, immaturity and low IQ did not affect her decision-making in this situation.
In Smith's defense, Zafar Ali QC countered that claims the mother was without remorse were "incorrect" and the case was "permeated by domestic abuse".
Smith broke down numerous times during the trial, reports The Telegraph and Argus, and apologised in court for her conduct.
As the verdict was given, Dame Victoria Sharp, President of the Queen's Bench Division, said: "Star's treatment at the hands of both Brockhill and Smith was harrowing and deeply disturbing.
"We have viewed images which showed many injuries to Star's body; they were deeply distressing images of physical assaults, punishments, mistreatment and neglect to Star.
"Smith accepted she mistreated Star and her behaviour accounted to cruelty. The maximum charge for this is 10 years.
"There were at least eight instances identified, each captured on video. Having seen these images, we do not accept these are the full picture of this.
"There was a consistent pattern of cruelty by Smith towards her daughter in the months before her death.
"Smith should have foreseen what happened to Star by what she had seen happen previously when she returned from Brockhill with serious injuries."
She picked out four points as to why the sentence passed was too lenient: prolonged incidents of cruelty; degradation of the victim; deliberate disregard of Star; and a failure to protect Star from risk.
"In mitigation, there was a mismatch by the Judge. She said Smith's low IQ and immaturity did not excuse her behaviour, but nothing was said as to why it would materially reduce her culpability.
"The Judge referred to Brockhill's violence towards Smith which would make it more difficult for her to report problems. But the Judge earlier found this had been exaggerated and that Smith had chosen to remain in this relationship for her own selfish purposes.
"There was nothing linking the abuse to Smith with her abuse to Star.
"As for Smith's lack of previous convictions, this carries very little weight in this case, as on her own admission she could have been indicted for a serious of offences for child cruelty.
"The final point, to which very significant weight was attached, the loss of her daughter.
"We can never say the point is irrelevant, but what we can say is in this case, where Smith treated Star with such neglect and indifference, the Judge was wrong to attach so much weight to this."
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Plans to turn one of Leeds’ most historic buildings into padel courts approved
One of Leeds’ most iconic buildings is set to be brought back to life.
Plans for a brand-new padel and leisure destination at The Roundhouse on Wellington Road have been approved by Leeds City Council’s West Plans Panel.
Consent has been granted for Ollo Padel to transform the Grade II* listed Roundhouse into a state-of-the-art sport, fitness, food, drink and community venue subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement.
Built in 1847 for the Leeds and Thirsk Railway Company, The Roundhouse was once home to the steam locomotives that powered industrial Victorian Leeds. In recent years, the building has stood largely unused.
Image: Supplied
The approved plans will restore and protect the landmark building and give the site a new, long-term future as one of the city’s most distinctive leisure destinations.
The three-acre site, located on the edge of Leeds city centre, will include nine outdoor doubles padel courts under a 10-metre canopy, plus a dedicated indoor coaching court within The Roundhouse itself.
At the heart of the site will be the Ollo Clubhouse; built around an all-day kitchen and bar, it will combine a comfortable lounge and co-working space, meeting rooms and live sport and events spaces.
The kitchen and bar will be run in partnership with Southbank Provisions, the independent Leeds hospitality team behind Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Galleria whilst the gym will be operated by fitness and performance specialists Northbound, who will bring strength and conditioning practice, Hyrox training and pilates classes to The Roundhouse.
Image: Supplied
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the venue aiming to open in early 2027.
Luke Gidney, Founder & CEO Ollo Padel: "This is a huge day for Leeds, for The Roundhouse and for Ollo. The Roundhouse has been part of the city’s story for nearly 180 years. It’s an incredible building but it needs people, energy and purpose again. Our plan is to bring it back to life as a place where people can play, eat, work, meet friends and feel part of something.
"Padel is growing so quickly because it’s fun, social and easy to pick up. But for us, this is about more than just the courts. We want Ollo to become a proper community destination for Leeds, somewhere welcoming, joyful and full of life.
"We’re incredibly grateful to Leeds City Council’s planning team, our case officer, the wider council team and everyone who has supported the project to this point. This has been a complex project but the sport and engagement throughout has been brilliant. Now the real work starts and we cannot wait to open the doors for you.”
New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
Clementine Hall
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
The Hoot -
15th March 2022 
