The article states that other adults were in the house. Was Casey's mom at home? I guess maybe they thought he was going upstairs to sleep it off and trusting that he wouldn't do anything to harm his niece.
Yes Caseys mum was downstairs. Apparently she had complained as the father and uncle of Casey had turned up drunk. He had gone upstairs and thats when the assault and subsequent death took place.
The father came up once and found the uncle sitting next to Casey but she was under a duvet and nothing seemed amiss. It seems he was actually trusted by them to get her to sleep etc. They had no idea he had been carrying round a photo of Casey naked from the waist down on his mobile.
Here is a link to Caseys father speaking out about whats happened and some pics of the uncle.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007300502,00.html
THE anguished father of a two-year-old girl raped and murdered by his own brother raged last night: He betrayed me in the most evil way possible.
He spoke out after Michael Mullen, 21, was jailed for life for horrifically attacking niece Casey in her bedroom while her unsuspecting parents were downstairs.
Trusted Mullen, who would often help the tot get to sleep, struck as Casey clutched her favourite cuddly toy rabbit, then strangled her with the cord of a phone charger.
Stunned David Mullen said he had loved brother Michael like a twin. He added: My heart hurts for my baby daughter.
I cant get my head round what happened to her. That my brother did it makes it worse . . . unbearable.
The one thing I cant get out of my head is Why? Its horrific what he did. Why did he do it? Its a nightmare and I just want things to go back to how they were.
He had no idea Mullen drooled over sickening child *advertiser censored* on his computer and carried a picture on his mobile phone of Casey undressed from the waist down.
On the evening of February 11, the brothers turned up at the home in Gipton, Leeds, that Casey shared with her three-year-old brother, mum Samantha Canham and her brother Lee.
David, 20, did not live with them but visited every day.
Leeds Crown Court heard the two brothers had downed around eight pints of lager but Michael Mullen had also thrown back glass after glass of vodka.
Teetotal Samantha, 20, did not like drunkards in the house so got into a row with David.
During the argument Mullen went to Caseys room.
Lee took up a drink for Casey and saw her motionless on her back under a duvet with Mullen next to her. Mullen said she was dozing and told Lee to go.
Mullen later got a taxi with David to return to their mothers house in the city. Meanwhile Lee went to check on Casey and yelled for Samantha.
She ran up to find her daughter bleeding from her nose and ears, with more blood around the crotch of her pink pyjamas.
Part-time barman Mullen, a former glue-sniffer hooked on booze and drugs, was arrested.
Cops found a computer used to download scores of child *advertiser censored* pictures and videos. One video was classed as Level 5 terrible abuse involving sadism. It showed a young girl attacked with a ligature around her neck.
After the case, David said: Michael had been quiet in the cab. We got home and he went straight to bed. About 20 minutes later Samantha rang me to tell me what had happened.
I went into the bedroom and screamed at him, What have you done to my little baby? pushing him out of bed, repeatedly hitting him with my fist.
He mumbled No, then went back to sleep. Mums boyfriend pinned me to the wall and ordered me to get to the hospital to be with Samantha. That was the last time I saw Michael until court.
David went on: We were always together, walking everywhere with our arms around each other. We were two youngsters building dens, riding bikes and climbing trees, watching TV and playing soccer on the street.
I looked up to him. Michael was my best mate. He was always there for me, got me out of scrapes, would stand up for me if others picked on me. There was only 14 months between us and we were more like twins than brothers in looks and ways. We were just so close.
Mullen was jailed in 2000 for theft, and ex-girlfriends said he was hot-headed in drink. But David said: He never said or did anything that made me think he was a paedophile. If he had, I wouldnt have let him near my kids.
When Im quiet, I think Ive always had an older brother who I loved. Now I have to hate.
Pathologists said Casey had suffered some of the worst injuries they had ever seen. As details of the attack were read out in court, Samantha and David wept and a female relative ran from the public gallery to be sick.
Mullen admitted rape and murder. Caging him for a minimum of 35 years, Mr Justice Simon said: The doctors described the injuries to her small body but her pain and fear must only be imagined.
Det Supt Steve Payne, who led the inquiry, said: Michael Mullen committed an act of wickedness beyond belief. What he did is beyond comprehension of a normal society.
The Sun can reveal Mullen was charged with raping a girl of 12 four years ago but the case was dropped hours before trial when she changed her evidence.
Samantha sobbed: If he had been in jail Casey would still be alive. He should rot in hell and suffer a thousand agonies. I will never ever forgive him.
He robbed Casey of her life and us of a little angel of a daughter. They should throw away the key and never release him. Samantha and David went on to thank Sun readers who sent in money for Caseys funeral and to help them restart their lives in a new home.
Samantha said: We could not bear to return to our old place.
She recalled how she had planned to turn cheeky Caseys bedroom into a pink palace. She went on: I keep expecting to hear her voice and feel her tugging my trouser leg. My arms ache to hold her again.
Casey loved playing hide and seek all the time.
You had to pretend that you couldnt find her. All you could hear was Casey giggling.
At first we couldnt bear to tell her three-year-old brother.
He kept on saying, Mummy, Caseys hiding.
At least shes at peace now, where no one can hurt her again.