GUILTY UK - Khyra Ishaq, 7, starved to death, Birmingham, 17 May 2008

[gaia227]

I have a hard time understanding things like this. Were these children in school? Didn't their teachers notice they were emaciated and starving? People have this mind your own business mentality which can be devastating in some situations. It reminds of that little boy who was in foster care (can't remember his name) and his foster mother starved him to the point that AT SCHOOL he would be caught digging through the cafeteria trashcans looking for something to eat. He was caught several times in his neighbors kitchen eating out of their refridgerator. When she would send him to school with lunch she would make him sandwiches with peanut butter - he was deathly allergic to PB and knew he couldn't eat it. He constantly had brusies on his body. He told his case workers and teachers he was being abused and still nothing. When the school finally inquired about his physical state, she took him out of school and that was that. This little boy was even being monitored by the state since he was being fostered and the horrible abuse he was suffering still wasn't caught. His foster mother made him out to be some troubled kid and used that as an excuse for his behavior. He eventually disappeared and was found dead in a shallow grave. She had beat him to death with a hammer. All this time she was beating him, starving him, chaining him up, etc she was filing for adoption rights even as she talked out the other side of her mouth about what an awful kid he was. I don't understand. Why would you have more kids if you can't support them. Why would you adopt a kid you can't even be bothered to feed? WHY DO THESE CASES SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS? When children are being starved in this country it should be pretty obvious to those who bother to stop minding their own business and start noticing someone else's.

 

[iNTERESTEDWOMAN]

Mama is not starving to death, oh no, it is the child that is dead from starvation AND the mother accused a neighbor of feeding the children bread? What is with that?

Something is sick and wrong here and it is not wrong with the children or the society who would have helped.

I am sick to death of parents who do not take responsibility.

Let us all quit playing games here. Mama knows how to do boom boom with her boyfriend and you know she has been doing it while allowing her children to die. At a minimum she could have walked into the local forests, parks and grocery store trash cans if that was what was needed to keep her babies alive, but she was too busy or "too full" herself to think of that. Some parents scavenge in grocery store trash cans, but she complained of a neighbor feeding her children bread?

Come on now, is there any doubt that this mother is negligent? I'm sick to death of excuses.

w

:clap::clap:

Exactly. Well said!

Is there a free lunch program in the UK? I know in the states, if it wasn't for the free lunch program some kids would go hungry...Oh, that wouldn't have helped this poor child, her "mother" pulled her out of school. :furious:

 

[tamfish]

Ya'll might find this interesting: On the Dr. Phil show today is a woman who left a religious cult; she claims that one of the ways the cult disciplined children was by "forced fasting" -- giving them only water for periods of time, no food of any sort at all.

I wonder if this mother was withholding food as a form of punishment.

 

[txsvicki]

I imagine the neighbors had called CPS before and the mom had been investigated and nothing done. That's probably why she confronted the neighbor. About the economy, a teacher told me that there's kids in my school who won't eat on the weekend if the school didn't start a program of handing out food sacks on Friday. Very disturbing.

 

[Floh]

'House of hunger' children were withdrawn from school after tragic Khyra was 'bullied for wearing Muslim dress'

• Social workers allegedly visited children once and never returned
• MP demands full-scale inquiry into educational authority and social services
• Neighbours angrily question why school did not raise the alarm


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ragic-Khyra-bullied-wearing-Muslim-dress.html

 

[sherri79]

What I mean is, the mother was probably not making ends meet and the children went hungry as a result and that more cases will likely follow. It seems to me that is the direction our economy is headed. What was the mother's health like? How can she homeschool and work at the same time? I'm not 100% convinced this was intentional. imo

we are not talking about a under fed child. i am sure there are children under fed due to the parents lack of money. this child is dead. her sister seems to be well fed. when your children are starving you have options. ask your family for help. ask the government for help. beg on a street corner. sell your body on a street corner. steal food. when you find the children eating bread the neighbors toss out for birds you thank them and beg for help. you hand your children over to the state so that foster care can feed them.

all of these options are hard for a mother. letting your child starve to death is not a option. if we were talking about a child with rickets i could understand your argument. mom just could not afford fresh fruit but did not realize how it was harming her child. a child does not do without food for a day and drop dead. this child would have showed signs of starvation before death.

as for how can mom work and teach her children you are not figuring her new husband in to the picture.

 

[kazzbar]

Maybe this sounds mean but IDK CLOSE YOUR FREAKING LEGS!!!
I do not have much sympathy for some who keeps popping out babies and not taking care of the ones she already has.

I too am sick of hearing of these sad cases of child abuse.What is wrong with some people? Have these women and men not heard of contraception?
Poor little girl.So totally sad .

 

[Yeah me]

we are not talking about a under fed child. i am sure there are children under fed due to the parents lack of money. this child is dead. her sister seems to be well fed. when your children are starving you have options. ask your family for help. ask the government for help. beg on a street corner. sell your body on a street corner. steal food. when you find the children eating bread the neighbors toss out for birds you thank them and beg for help. you hand your children over to the state so that foster care can feed them.

all of these options are hard for a mother. letting your child starve to death is not a option. if we were talking about a child with rickets i could understand your argument. mom just could not afford fresh fruit but did not realize how it was harming her child. a child does not do without food for a day and drop dead. this child would have showed signs of starvation before death.

as for how can mom work and teach her children you are not figuring her new husband in to the picture.

Really, I think my comments boil down to me not wanting to believe this was an intentional act. I'm getting more and more disenchanted with the human race, and I was hoping (not the right word, but you know what I mean) that it was a case of poverty and pride rather than another case of abuse..

 

[sherri79]

Really, I think my comments boil down to me not wanting to believe this was an intentional act. I'm getting more and more disenchanted with the human race, and I was hoping (not the right word, but you know what I mean) that it was a case of poverty and pride rather than another case of abuse..

i totally understand the desire. if you allow your child to die to save pride it would still be murder but i get the need to find a explanation. it seems unbelievable that a mother would do this if she had any choice in the matter. every parent has a reason why they abuse their child and it never provides a explanation once we learn it. if confronted this mother would claim to love her child and not be evil. so would the man who fathered 7 children by the daughter locked in his dungeon.

 

[Brefie]

:clap::clap:

Exactly. Well said!

Is there a free lunch program in the UK? I know in the states, if it wasn't for the free lunch program some kids would go hungry...Oh, that wouldn't have helped this poor child, her "mother" pulled her out of school. :furious:

Yes there is, or at least there was when I was at school. It doesn't even take much to qualify. I think in primary school I may have even had them for a while...my dad was a miner and when they were on strike, a teacher who knew my mother told her to fill out the paperwork stat! Of course, it's not always like that, had my teacher not told her to do it, my mother wasn't the type to seek it out since we were a long, long way from hungry.

This is absolutely abuse. There is nothing I wouldn't do to feed my children, Beg, borrow or steal kids should be fed.

 

[DebC]

Yes there is, or at least there was when I was at school. It doesn't even take much to qualify.

That's right. My own daughter had free school dinners most of her school life. If I read the reports right, the father had left the home. This would mean that the mother would be getting benefits, (payments), as a single mother. Plus, she would be receiving Child Allowance payments - the mother, and only the mother, is given money by the government - so much for each child EVERY WEEK, 52 weeks a year. I'm not sure how much it is now as it's been a while since I collected any.

Also, since the mother was a Muslim, it is the wrong time of the year for fasting. The month-long Ramadan doesn't start until 1 September this year.

Very sad.

 

[Brefie]

That's right. My own daughter had free school dinners most of her school life. If I read the reports right, the father had left the home. This would mean that the mother would be getting benefits, (payments), as a single mother. Plus, she would be receiving Child Allowance payments - the mother, and only the mother, is given money by the government - so much for each child EVERY WEEK, 52 weeks a year. I'm not sure how much it is now as it's been a while since I collected any.

Also, since the mother was a Muslim, it is the wrong time of the year for fasting. The month-long Ramadan doesn't start until 1 September this year.

Very sad.

It's been 10 years since I lived there, but from what I still hear, the UK is pretty much the place to be if you don't feel like working

So, for the more honest among us, harder times certainly do NOT mean anyone has to go hungry. It's been a few years since I heard of any current schemes, but I know some used to get decorating grants for homes and and even a clothing allowance for job interviews.

DebC, maybe you can confirm or correct, but I seem to remember that when I was a child, child benefit was not even means tested??

 

[DebC]

DebC, maybe you can confirm or correct, but I seem to remember that when I was a child, child benefit was not even means tested??

that's right, Brefie. Everyone gets the same amount. I used to have a little book that I took to the PO every week. They would tear out the coupon and stamp the book. Nowadays I think most people have it paid straight into their bank. I'm not sure about that though.

 

[DebC]

And, what is more - MEDICAL treatment/advice is ALL FREE, unless you are here illegally, then you have to pay.

 

[Brefie]

And, what is more - MEDICAL treatment/advice is ALL FREE, unless you are here illegally, then you have to pay.

So, I think we can agree here, that the bottom line is that your child will only die from starvation if you are mentally ill or truly want them dead.

I wish she would get the chair :furious:

 

[JanetElaine]

Also, since the mother was a Muslim, it is the wrong time of the year for fasting. The month-long Ramadan doesn't start until 1 September this year.

Very sad.

And even then, children under 10 do not fast. I can't think of another logical explanation for this other than abuse to be honest. Very sad indeed.

 

[Texas Mist]

Khyra Ishaq trial: Court told child at same house had lowest ever body mass index

Jan 30 2010 by Nick McCarthy, Birmingham Mail

ONE of the children living at the same Birmingham home where a seven-year-old girl was allegedly starved to death by her mother and stepfather had the lowest body mass index a doctor had ever come across.

Dr Michael Plunkett, a consultant paediatrician, said five children, who had been living at Leyton Road, Handsworth, where Khyra Ishaq had died, were brought to the City Hospital on May 17, 2008.

He told a jury at Birmingham Crown Court he had the opportunity to observe them while they were eating.

Asked if there was anything noticeable in what he saw he replied: “It was very noticeable.

“It was the only time I had seen children eating in this manner.

“Most children who come into hospital do not eat so well.

“The children sat quietly around the table, hunched over a plate of sandwiches, protecting the food with one arm, raising eyes every so often to see what was happening around them but clearly intent on finishing the meal in front of them.”

The doctor said he had examined two of the children.

One of the girls, he described as ‘quiet’ and added: “She looked very thin. The skin was drawn over her joints and she looked to have little subcutaneous fat.”

more here

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/...d-lowest-ever-body-mass-index-97319-25717862/

===================

Social workers had no concerns over health of Khyra Ishaq three months before she died.

Feb 3 2010 by Ross McCarthy, Birmingham Mail

SOCIAL workers who visited the Birmingham home of a seven-year-old girl who was allegedly starved to death had no concerns about her health, a court heard.

Khyra Ishaq died on May 17, 2008 after being starved by her mother and stepfather for several months, it has been claimed.

Angela Gordon, 35, and Junaid Abuhamza, 31, of Leyton Road, Handsworth, have both denied murdering Khyra. Gordon has also pleaded not guilty to five charges of child cruelty.

Sanya Scott, an education social worker, employed by Birmingham City Council, said following concerns from a local school she and another social worker had visited the defendants’ home on February 21 2008.

She said they were there for about half an hour but remained outside because Gordon would not let them in.


more here

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/...-three-months-before-she-died-97319-25752132/

where in the world is it safe to be a kid??

 

[kbl8201]

to whoever said they dont want to believe this was intentional, what do you think it was, an accident? there are families that have zero money coming in that feed they're kids better then this.

 

[Kymistry35]

The woman was a single mother with 6 children. Given the state of economy, we'll probably hear more and more cases like this.

I know plenty of single mothers with multiple children and none of them have starve their children. If you are so poor that you cant feed them there are welfare programs to help and if you cant get help, give the kids up, borrow, beg, or steal food. There is NEVER an excuse to not feed your kids.

 

[OkieGranny]

From March 2010:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/8551118.stm

The mother of a seven-year-old girl who starved to death at her Birmingham home has been sentenced to 15 years and the girl's stepfather jailed indefinitely.

Angela Gordon, 35, was cleared last month of murdering Khyra Ishaq but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. She will be jailed for seven-and-a-half years and spend the rest on licence.

Gordon's partner, Junaid Abuhamza, 31, also had a manslaughter plea accepted after a report about his mental health. He must serve a minimum of seven-and-half years, the judge at Birmingham Crown Court said.