Court hears background to removal of children which sparked rioting

By Dave Higgens, Reporter11th February 2025News EnglandChild Protection, Childrens Services, Local Authorities, Looked After Children, News England, Social Work, Yorkshire

Concerns were raised about a family three months before police and social workers removed a number of children from a house, sparking rioting in the Harehills area of Leeds, a judge has heard.

A three-day fact-finding hearing began on Tuesday which is focused on an incident in April last year which led to a baby, who was one of seven children living in a house in Harehills, being taken to hospital with what turned out to be a fractured skull.

Police and social workers then became involved with the extended family and, on July 18, four of the children in the house were removed over concerns they would be taken out of the country, to Romania.

After the police arrived at the house, the area erupted in violence, with officers coming under attack, a patrol car overturned and a bus torched.

In a written opening to the case at Leeds Family Court, Iain Hutchinson, for Leeds City Council, explained how a doctor raised concerns after the youngster – who was not one of the four children removed on July 18 – was taken to hospital by his parents.

Mr Hutchinson said in the document: “They did not know how he had sustained the head injury. The only explanation provide was that (the boy) could have perhaps hit his head on his cot, though none of his caregivers observed this.

“Medical opinion is that it is likely that the injury was caused by blunt force trauma or a fall from height, rendering the family’s explanation implausible.”

When social workers spoke to the extended family “each adult gave a differing account”, Mr Hutchinson said.

According to the document, a child relative of the boy who was visiting the house later admitted dropping him.

Mr Hutchinson said: “It is the social worker’s analysis that as a minimum there has been serious neglect of (the boy’s) need through poor supervision and possible delaying seeking medical attention depending on when the injury was sustained.”

Giving evidence in court on Tuesday, the baby’s mother said she now accepted that she should have sought medical attention for her son sooner, on the day he was injured.

She insisted that she did not see any swelling until the next day, but she told the court: “When the child had a fever and was agitated I should have gone with him to hospital.”

Mr Hutchinson told Judge Helen Trotter-Jackson in his submissions that Leeds City Council is seeking findings that the adult family members “failed to respond appropriately to the injury sustained by (the child)”.

Decisions over care will be made at a later date.

According to court documentation, the four children removed from the house in July were returned to the care of members of the extended family following a hearing shortly after. They were then returned to their parents in October.