Poppi Worthington woke up screaming at about 5.30am in 2012 at the family home
The prosecutor in charge of the Poppi Worthington case ‘strongly suspected’ she was sexually abused by her father before dying of horrific injuries.
Paul Worthington probably sexually assaulted the 13-month-old girl before she collapsed at home in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, according to a previous ruling by a family court judge.
And Nazir Afzal, who was the Crown Prosecution Service northwest chief when he approved the decision not to charge the 49-year-old parent, has now said police failures prevented a trial.
He told The Sunday Times: ‘I had a strong suspicion that Poppi died after being sexually abused by her father.
‘I was given a case file by the police that had so many gaps that I was left with no choice. I could not approve charging Worthington based on the evidence the police investigation produced.’
Mr Afzal added that work carried out by Cumbria Police at the time was ‘simply not of the same standard as other forces in the North West’.
Nazir Afzal, who was the Crown Prosecution Service northwest chief when he approved the decision not to charge Paul Worthington, has now said police failures prevented a trial
Paul Worthington (left) probably sexually assaulted 13-month-old Poppi (right) before she collapsed at home in Barrow-in-Furness, according to a previous ruling by a family court judge
His comments came ahead of a senior coroner today delivering his conclusions at the second inquest of Poppi – more than five years after she died.
The toddler’s controversial first inquest was quashed by the High Court and deemed ‘irregular’ after it lasted just seven minutes and did not refer to Poppi by name as her death was declared as unexplained.
Before the Christmas and New Year break, a more in-depth examination of the circumstances took place as three weeks of evidence was heard at County Hall, Kendal, before David Roberts, HM senior coroner for Cumbria.
The otherwise healthy youngster woke up screaming at about 5.30am on December 12, 2012 at the family home in Barrow-in-Furness and her father, Paul Worthington, put her in his bed and went to get a fresh nappy, the inquest heard.
Poppi’s cot: The girl was heard to scream before her father put her in his bed with him
When he returned, she had settled but five or 10 minutes later he reached over and she was limp or floppy. He then rushed downstairs and the child’s mother, sleeping downstairs, called an ambulance.
Paramedics carried out a ‘scoop and run’, delivering the apparently lifeless girl to Furness General Hospital at 6.11am but she never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead shortly after 7am.
Medics noted the child was bleeding from her bottom.
In January 2016 – as part of family court proceedings involving Poppi’s siblings – a judge revealed his findings that Mr Worthington probably sexually assaulted his daughter shortly before her death.
Former Asda worker Mr Worthington (pictured in a court sketch) refused to answer 252 questions as he exercised his legal right to not say anything which may incriminate himself
Mr Worthington has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any offence as the Crown Prosecution Service say there is insufficient evidence.
Coming out of hiding to give evidence in Kendal, the former Asda supermarket worker refused to answer 252 questions as he exercised his legal right to not say anything which may incriminate himself.
An array of expert medical witnesses also entered the witness box as the inquest was told Poppi’s cause of death remains ‘unascertained’.
The post-mortem examination findings of pathologist Dr Alison Armour – that Poppi had been penetrated and had tears in her bottom – were hotly disputed.
The inquest also heard Cumbria Police’s investigation into the death was so botched that vital evidence was lost and exactly what happened to Poppi will never be known.
Mr Worthington (pictured last November) has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any offence as the Crown Prosecution Service say there is insufficient evidence
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) last year said senior detectives were ‘unstructured and disorganised’, and highlighted the lengthy delay into a criminal investigation taking place ‘despite there being significant suspicious circumstances from the outset”.
Lawyers for Poppi’s mother – who cannot be named for legal reasons – and Mr Worthington both submitted to the coroner there was not enough evidence for him to conclude the toddler was unlawfully killed.
However, Gillian Irving QC, representing Poppi’s mother, argued there was ‘clear evidence’ that Poppi was subject to a ‘penetrative anal assault’.
Claiming the evidence of Dr Armour was ‘tainted’ and ‘unsafe’, Leslie Thomas QC, for Mr Worthington, said an open verdict was appropriate as there was not enough evidence to reach any other conclusion.
Mr Roberts is expected take up to three hours to deliver his conclusions from noon onwards.