| Location | Sheffield |
| Age | 3 years |
| Date of Birth | 2004 |
| Date of Death | 10/2007 |
| Visitors | 15,213 since 12/06/2008 |
| Creator |
Tiffany Wright aged 3 starved to death by her mother and stepfather. This little girl deserves to be remembered, her story must be told.
A three-year-old girl as fragile as a 'tiny porcelain doll' died in squalour after being starved and neglected by her cruel mother and stepfather, a court was told.
Tiffany Wright was 'unloved, unwanted and left to die alone' in her bedroom above a pub run by the parents.
The sad little girl would be seen by passers-by staring out of the first floor window. She was stopped from going to nursery and kept away from other children of her age, yet tragically no one intervened to save her.
The Scarbrough Arms pub where the body of 3-year-old Tiffany Wright was found
It is difficult to imagine a more horrific 'natural' death. Weakened by lack of food and water, Tiffany died from pneumonia.
Paramedics found her lying in a filthy bed in a beetle-infested room at the Scarbrough Arms on Addy Street, Sheffield. The youngster had been dead for up to two days. She was shockingly underweight and her body covered in insect bites.
Her mother Sabrina Hirst, 22, and stepfather Robert Hirst, 54, were originally charged with murder. But the Crown Prosecution Service accepted Sabrina's guilty plea to manslaughter on the grounds of 'gross negligence' and her partner's plea to a lesser charge of neglect.
Tiffany's stepfather Robert Hirst, 54, has been found guilty of neglect
The couple have also pleaded guilty to the neglect of a 12-month-old child.
Both were remanded in custody on Wednesday by Judge Alan Goldsack, QC, who adjourned the case at Sheffield Crown Court for reports.
The court was told Tiffany's death was a result of repeated and severe malnourishment. A post mortem examination found development of her bones had been abnormal, indicating malnourishment and growth happening in bursts when she had been fed.
The pathologist also discovered the organ responsible for her immune system was 'much smaller' than it should have been.
Seven months before she died Tiffany was seen by a health visitor and 'appeared healthy and well.'
It is not known whether the family were involved with social services, but a multi-agency investigation has been launched into her death.
Detectives believe the little girl had been loved as a baby and toddler, but when Robert Hirst came into her life things were to dramatically change.
Not only was she starved of love and attention, but they failed to give her the most basic level of care by denying her food and water.
Experienced police officers have been left shocked by the tragic case.
Outside court Detective Inspector Steve Williams, said: 'We think this neglect had been going on for months and that those last few months, weeks and days of her life she was unloved, unwanted, starved of attention and left alone to die and she would have known that.
'Children are a gift who should be cherished. Parents everywhere, those who have lost them and people unable to have them will find this treatment unbearable and unthinkable.
'She was like a tiny porcelain doll, so tiny and frail and we all wondered how this had been allowed to happen in this day and age.'
He added: 'This must never happen again and if people have any concerns at all or suspicions about the welfare of a child they must call somebody because out of every thousand calls followed up if only one turns out to be founded and a child's life is saved it is worth it.'
The Hirsts were licensees of the Scarbrough Arms in Sheffield. The court heard for over 13 months before Tiffany's death, they were 'in a habit of leaving children locked up in residential quarters upstairs.'
When the girl died last September police found the house in a squalid condition, with live electrical wires hanging from the walls and one room where the family dogs were kept was full of excrement and urine.
The court heard the decision to accept the mother's manslaughter plea had been made because it could not be proved she knew her actions would have killed Tiffany. While Robert Hirst escaped with a neglect charge because he started a new job, assisting a lorry driver, a week before her death and was away 12 or 13 hours a day.
The judge said he had breached his duty of care to check on Tiffany, while Sabrina had never been able to answer a single question as to how this child could die in her care.
Alan Jones, Chairman of the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board, said he was 'immensely saddened' by the tragedy and a serious case review was being carried out.
He said the inquiry would 'look at the involvement that agencies had with this family and to make sure any necessary changes are made so that children in Sheffield are no longer put at risk in this way.'
TODAY 27TH JUNE 2008
SABRINA HIRST RECEIVED 12 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR MANSLAUGHTER
ROBERT HIRST RECEIVED 5 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR CHILD CRUELTY.
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IF YOU WISH TO DISCUSS ANY ELEMENTS OF THIS MEMORIAL PLEASE EMAIL ME AT sharonlbradford@hotmail.co.uk
The Growing Problem of Child Neglect
http://marchingwildly.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/the-growing-problem-of-child-neglect/
☆ Goodnight precious angel ☆
☆ Sweet Dreams ☆
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.... . \/. .
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___||__(~\
\______/
☆ Our beautiful angel
In the sky ☆
☆ Let us know you
Are close by ☆
☆ As we lay down to sleep
Come to us in our dreams ☆
☆ Let us see you smiling face
Let us feel your warm embrace ☆
☆ Let us feel your tender love
Surrounding us from above ☆
Copyright© Leza 21/2/2010
~~Special Flower~~
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....@........@...... ... .@
...@ * love *.. @.... .@
...@..............@@ ...@
....@..RIP..@ ....... @
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The Lord needed a flower
and that flower was you
so he picked you up from down here
and up and up you flew ~~
He planted you in his garden
he said 'You'll stay here now with me'
and there you'll stay away from harm
the prettiest flower you'll always be ~~
R.I.P Little Angel Yu Shud Nt Of Been Left 2 Die By Horrible Ppl like that Ur Sumwhere better 2 be nw nd safe Hope Your'll R.I.P God Bless Lilttle Angel xxxxxxxxxx
You will never leave me
Tiffany I only recently heard about your story.
Your little face will never leave me.
I can only pray that you were too young to fully understand the horror of many, many adults allowing this to happen to a child like you.
I cannot bear that this will ever happen again and yet am powerless to stop it.
i miss you tiffany
i miss you darling i cant beleve ur mommy did tht if i new u wer up there i wud have came n gt u n took u away from tht evil women my mum marie and carly will never forget u darlingwe all love n miss u so much u will always be in my heart nmemories my sister carly misses u sooo much she misses taking you out to town n buying u stuff I LOVE U BBY GIRL UR BEAUTIFUL ILL NEVER FORGET U SWEETHEART XXXXXX
If Teddy Bears Could Talk...
If Teddy Bears could talk,
what would they say;
What would they tell you,
about the children with whom they play?
They might tell you things
you don’t want to hear;
Like Mommy hurt Tommy,
or daddy is who we fear.
The Teddy Bears of children
are not just some toy;
They’re sometimes the only love felt,
by some little girl or boy.
So when you see a child,
scared and alone,
find him a Teddy Bear
in need of a home.
Know that you’ve done good,
by the deed in your heart….
You’ve given this child place
a place for love to start.
♥ ♥ ♥ Teddy Bear ♥ ♥ ♥
Teddy, I’ve been bad again,
my Mommy told me so;
I’m not quite sure what I did wrong,
but I thought that you might know.
When I woke up this morning,
I knew that she was mad;
‘Cause she was crying awfully hard,
and yelling at my dad.
I tried my best to be real good,
and do just what she said;
I cleaned my room all by myself,
and I even made my bed.
But I spilled milk on my good shirt,
when she yelled at me to hurry;
And I guess she didn’t hear me,
when I told her I was sorry.
‘Cause she hit me awfully hard, you see,
and called me funny names;
And told me I was really bad,
and I should be ashamed!
When I said, “I love you Mommy,”
I guess she didn’t understand;
‘Cause she yelled at me to shut my mouth,
or I’d get smacked again.
So I came up here to talk to you,
please tell me what to do;
‘Cause I really love my Mommy,
and I know she loves me too.
I don’t think my Mommy means to hit me
quite so hard;
I guess sometimes grown ups forget,
how big they really are!
So Teddy, I wish you were real,
and you weren’t just a bear;
Then you could help me find a way
to tell Mommy’s everywhere.
So please try hard to understand,
how sad it makes us feel;
The outside pain soon goes away,
but the inside never heals!
And if we could make them listen,
maybe then they’d understand;
So other children just like me,
wouldn’t have to hurt again.
But for now, I guess I’ll hold you tight,
and pretend the pain’s not there;
I know you’d never hurt me,
I love you … So Goodnight … Teddy Bear!
~ Misty ~
My name is Misty,
I am but three;
My eyes are swollen,
I cannot see.
I must not be loved,
for I am punished
by cigarette burns.
I must do right,
I can’t do wrong,
or else I’m locked up,
all week long.
When I awake,
I’m alone.
The house is dark,
my folks are gone.
Deep down inside,
I feel bad for Mom & dad,
I’m really just an expensive joke,
no more, no less …
then speed or coke.
Be quiet now!
I hear a car.
My Dad is back,
From Charlie’s bar.
I hear him curse,
my name he calls.
I squeeze myself tight,
up against the wall.
On my bed,
it’s too late,
his face is twisted,
into hate.
I feel the pain,
again and again.
Oh, Dear God!
Please let it end!
My name is Misty,
I am but three;
Last night my father
murdered me…
written by Venessa Gibbs in 8th Grade!
Never Forget
After hearing the story of Tiffany wright, I will never forget her and the suffering she had to endure. I think about her often.
May she be in a wonderful place now.
★ Sweet Dreams Precious Angel ★
*♥ Night time falls
**♥
***♥ And all is still
****♥
*****♥ We look up into the dark night sky
******♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥
**************♥ Searching out the one we love
*************♥
************♥ Ah, oh there you are
***********♥
************♥ You caught our eye
*************♥
**************♥ The biggest, brightest shining star
*******♥*♥*♥*♥*♥
*****♥ You twinkle there just for us
****♥
***♥ Showering us with all your love
**♥
*♥ And saying to us “Goodnight”
♥
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