A senior social worker in Britain involved in the care of murdered child abuse victim Victoria Climbie was today found guilty of refusing to help the public inquiry into her death.
Ms Carole Baptiste (39) from Clapham, south London, is the first person in Britain to be tried for deliberately breaching an inquiry summons and was found guilty at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court. She was fined £500.
District Judge Hayden Gott said he did not accept Baptiste's defence for not attending the inquiry for more than seven months because she was still suffering from a mental illness.
He said: "In my judgment the balance of medical evidence is that Ms Baptiste had recovered from mental illness and objectively speaking was fit to attend the inquiry."
He added: "In my judgment the determining factor in her failure to do so was Ms Baptiste's own personality.
"She deliberately failed to attend the inquiry on December 3rd 2001 and is guilty of the offence."
Victoria's killing - she was starved, beaten and trussed in a bin bag - shocked the British nation and prompted searching questions about the state of the child protection system there.
She was abused by her great aunt and the aunt's boyfriend - both now serving life for murder - despite the little girl having regular contact with care professionals. However, doctors, nurses, social workers and police failed to act.
PA