Alfie Steele: Police U-turn on probe into contact with killed boy

The police watchdog is to examine officers' contact with the family of a murdered nine-year-old boy.

Alfie Steele was killed in 2021 by his mother and her partner at his home in Droitwich after months of abuse.

Dirk Howell was found guilty of murder last week, while Carla Scott was convicted of manslaughter.

Despite prior contact with the family, West Mercia Police said after the trial it was confident its actions did not warrant investigation.

In a U-turn, the force said on Wednesday it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Alfie died in February 2021 after being held underwater in the bath as a punishment.

The trial heard how neighbours had reported concerns to authorities, with recordings of several of them played to the jury.

One neighbour had told police how she could hear what sounded like the boy being held under water, and concerns were raised about Howell breaching an order not to stay at Alfie's home.

Howell and Scott were jailed last week at Coventry Crown Court.

After the pair were found guilty, Det Ch Insp Leighton Harding told reporters outside court the contact the force had had with the family "did not meet the criteria for a referral" to the IOPC and a review had left them "satisfied" this remained the case.

However, he said he recognised the "concerns and questions" raised by police contact with the family.

The IOPC said it contacted the force after the trial to ascertain whether the case should have been referred.

"The force are now referring their prior contact to us, so that we can assess whether any further action needs to be taken by the IOPC," a spokesperson said.

Acting Deputy Chief Constable Richard Cooper said West Mercia Police had been "in dialogue" with the watchdog and that the force was "committed to ensuring we are transparent and where necessary appropriate scrutiny is applied".

"This includes taking into consideration the view of the IOPC, and on that basis, to ensure an independent assessment, a referral has now been made to the IOPC," he said.

The force will also participate in a child safeguarding review into Alfie's death. The report was paused during the criminal proceedings and will be published in due course.

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