Murder of Baby P Causes Outrage, Tax Boycott

There has been a bunch of chatter on taxgirl.com about whether it’s appropriate to use tax as a means of bringing about change, not by the government as is usually done, but by the taxpayers.

In the UK, the citizens of Haringey Borough are actually calling for such a thing: a tax boycott. Some citizens of the borough have instructed their banks to not make their regular tax payments until Sharon Shoesmith has been let go from her position. Shoesmith is at the center of a controversy over the killing of a baby known as Baby P, a sensational story that has made waves all of the way to Parliament.

To understand the ire of the citizens of Haringey, you need to know the back story. I’ll warn you: it’s a terrible story. It’s also not the usual taxgirl fare – and I make no apologies for that.

I’m posting the full story – the abuse, the investigation and the tax protest – after the jump. For those who don’t wish to read it, feel free to skip to the next taxgirl post…

(Photo: ITV)

The little boy in the picture above has suffered more pain than most of us could even imagine. He was tortured over his lifetime by the boyfriend of his mother. Eventually, those injuries killed him.

When Baby P was found dead, he was in bloodspattered crib. His home was covered in dog and human feces. The BBC reported that the “bodies of dead chicks, mice and a dismembered rabbit were strewn around.” He weighed a mere 23 pounds, the weight of a child five months younger than him. During an autopsy performed on the toddler, investigators found a tooth in his colon, thought to be from a blow to the head so severe that he swallowed his own tooth. Investigators found evidence of more than 50 other separate injuries, including:

• eight broken ribs and a broken back, with another area of bleeding around the spine at neck level;

• numerous bruises, cuts and abrasions, including a deep tear to his left ear lobe, which had been pulled away from his head;
• severe lacerations to the top of his head, including a large gouge which could have been caused by a dog bite;
• blackened finger- and toenails, with several nails missing;
• the middle finger of his right hand was without a nail and its tip was also missing, as if it had been sliced off; and
• a tear to his fraenulum, the strip of skin between the middle of the upper lip and the gum.

You can read the timeline of Baby P’s injuries and visits as compiled by the BBC here.

The BBC has also reported that the actual photographs of Baby P were so gruesome that they were not admitted into court. Computer generated images of his injuries, like the one below were used instead:

(Photo: BBC)

Baby P is thought to have been beaten extensively over the last year of his life. He was seen 60 times (yes, 60, not a typo) by social workers, health visitors and doctors in the last eight months of his life. He had been listed on the Child Protection Register in Haringey.

It is clear that his mother and her boyfriend took great pains to cover up the injuries to Baby P. His mother told authorities that he “bruised easily” and witnesses later testified that the mother and boyfriend spread chocolate on his face to hide bruises. Still, those involved with his care knew that there was more to the story and they chose to ignore it.

An inquiry was launched into the massive failure of the system to protect Baby P. Much of the blame has landed squarely on the feet on Sharon Shoesmith, the director of Children’s Services at Haringey since April 2005. Shoesmith has been thus far absolved of wrongdoing by the government. Interestingly, she is also chairman of Haringey’s Local Safeguarding Children Board which is in charge of investigating her own department in the case. After Baby P was killed, Shoesmith blocked a review of the case, writing “In the light of the good performance, a full scrutiny review would not be beneficial or add value to the service.”

Fifteen months later, not much has changed. Three of those involved in the case have received written warnings concerning their apparent neglect in the case – but not much else has followed. And taxpayers are angry. Protests have been steadily mounting, calling for resignations of key leaders including Haringey Council and, of course, Ms. Shoesmith.

Just last week, the leader of Haringey Council issued this statement:

But many say that the apology is much too little, too late. Their cries have made it to the ears of Parliament, where Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been called to task for seemingly not being involved enough in an investigation. Citizens of Haringey fear that not stepping in now will result in more of the same at Child Protective Services; a similarly explosive case occurred a few years before in the same borough when a little girl named Victoria Climbie was murdered by her guardians. Victoria’s death caused a public outcry and promise that changes would prevent such a thing from happening again. But taxpayers claim that, under Shoesmith’s watch, things have gone from bad to worse.

Protestors demand that Shoesmith should be fired. A sign was posted at the Hornsey and Wood Green Labour Party head offices that reads:

Sharon Shoesmith you have blood on your hands. Council tax payers of Haringey refuse to pay council tax until Sharon Shoesmith is sacked.

While the sign was the act of a single taxpayer, Stephanie Biber, it seems that many in the borough share her sentiment. Newspapers and blogs are reporting that taxpayers claim to have notified council and/or their banks that they will not be making tax payments this year until Shoesmith resigns or is fired.

Shoesmith has refused to issue an apology in the case, claiming that her department is being made a scapegoat. At a news conference, Shoesmith said: “If any resignations or sackings were needed there would have been. I certainly will not be resigning.”

As far as additional punishments are concerned, the three adults (the child’s mother, her boyfriend and a boarder) charged with actually killing Baby P will escape serious prison time. The three blamed each other, thus resulting in a verdict not of homicide but in “causing or allowing his death.”

Adding insult to injury, the Daily Mail is reporting that British citizens will likely foot what is estimated to be “a multimillion-pound bill” to protect the mother of Baby P after she is released from prison. Her lawyers reportedly believe that her life will be at risk and seeks to have a new home, name and round-the-clock police protection for her, at taxpayer’s expense.

It’s horrible, isn’t it? The mother refused to protect her own son from brutality during his lifetime but demands protection for her own life. And the citizens of the UK will continue to pay for her sins.

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Tagged as: Baby P, Haringey, Haringey Council, Sharon Shoesmith, Victoria Climbie