Ayeeshia Jane Smith: Social workers discussed putting child into care weeks before she was 'stamped to death'

Social workers discussed the case after her stepfather, Matthew Rigby, reportedly threatened to burn the flat down

Kathryn Smith and Matthew Rigby (pictured) are accused of killing the 21-month-old girl and separately of causing or allowing her death (PA)

Social workers discussed taking a toddler into care just weeks before she was allegedly stamped to death but decided to leave her with her mother, a court has heard.

Ayeeshia Jane Smith died aged 21 months in May 2014 after sustaining a fatal laceration to her heart and injuries likened to those seen in car crash victims by pathologists.

Her mother and stepfather deny harming the child, who was already known to social services and had been admitted to hospital several times.

Just over an hour before the little girl sustained the wound that killed her, a senior Derbyshire County Council social worker attempted to set up a meeting with mother Kathryn Smith over domestic abuse concerns.

Kathryn Smith, 23, outside Birmingham Crown Court (PA)

Stephen Crean, who was responsible for Ayeeshia's case, sent a text message to her on the afternoon of 30 April 2014 asking to visit their flat in Burton-upon-Trent the following day, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

A multi-agency risk assessment meeting involving police and social services held that day had decided to send a domestic abuse support worker to Smith, 23, after reports her partner had threatened to set fire to the family’s flat.

But despite the concerns, it was decided that Ayeeshia would stay with her mother while the case was investigated.

"If concerns were escalating, which they appeared to be, then we (would have initiated) the process of care proceedings,” Mr Crean said.

"A plan was formulated that Ms Smith would be spoken to and legal advice would be sought."

Ayeeshia Jane Smith was admitted several times to Queen's Hospital in Burton-upon-Trent with her injuries, the court heard (Google Streetview)

He said that he and his then manager, Alison O'Connor, met and discussed their options, including court proceedings to place Ayeeshia into local authority care on 9 April.

In the month leading up to the toddler's collapse, Mr Crean carried out five planned and unannounced visits to see "vulnerable" Smith and Ayeeshia.

Another social worker had visited on 17 April, reporting that Smith had refused an on-the-spot drugs test.

Mr Crean said he knocked on her door on 25 April, to be told by what he described as a "spaced-out" Smith that Ayeeshia was being looked after at a friend's house.

Earlier that month, Smith had refused to sign an agreement not to see her partner, 22-year-old Matthew Rigby, despite having called police in the early hours of 4 April reporting he had threatened to burn the flat down.

Mr Crean told the court: “The agreement was asking her to not let Mr Rigby in the flat because the concern was, according to the police, there was a threat to set fire to the flat, so the agreement was to not have any contact.”

But during an unannounced visit on 10 April, Smith allegedly claimed the police had ”got it wrong“ about Rigby's threat to torch the flat and became angry when he brought up the non-contact agreement.

Mr Crean told detectives he was concerned about domestic violence rather than child abuse, adding: ”Social services had no safeguarding concerns that Matthew Rigby would pose any threat to Ayeeshia Jane.“

The child was previously taken into care between June and October 2013 after concerns about a troubled relationship Smith had with another boyfriend.

Smith, of Sandfield Road, Nottingham and Rigby, of Sloan Drive, Nottingham, deny murder, causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a child. The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PA