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| Poppi Worthington: Father abused toddler before death | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A 13-month-old girl was sexually assaulted by her father shortly before her sudden death, a judge has found. | A 13-month-old girl was sexually assaulted by her father shortly before her sudden death, a judge has found. |
| Poppi Worthington, who was found with serious injuries at her home in Barrow, was pronounced dead when she was taken to hospital in December 2012. | Poppi Worthington, who was found with serious injuries at her home in Barrow, was pronounced dead when she was taken to hospital in December 2012. |
| Her father, Paul Worthington, 47, was arrested and questioned on suspicion of sexual assault but never charged with any offence. He denied any wrongdoing. | Her father, Paul Worthington, 47, was arrested and questioned on suspicion of sexual assault but never charged with any offence. He denied any wrongdoing. |
| A later inquest took just seven minutes to declare the death "unexplained". | A later inquest took just seven minutes to declare the death "unexplained". |
| Investigation: Key dates | |
| High Court family judge Mr Justice Peter Jackson, sitting at Liverpool Crown Court, ruled that - on the balance of probabilities - Mr Worthington "perpetrated a penetrative ... assault on Poppi". | High Court family judge Mr Justice Peter Jackson, sitting at Liverpool Crown Court, ruled that - on the balance of probabilities - Mr Worthington "perpetrated a penetrative ... assault on Poppi". |
| The death of the toddler had been shrouded in secrecy with a 2014 fact-finding civil court judgement being kept private so as not to prejudice any criminal proceedings. | |
| Last month, three medical experts gave evidence in open court stating they disagreed with the findings of a Home Office pathologist who believed Poppi was the victim of "a penetrative sexual assault". | Last month, three medical experts gave evidence in open court stating they disagreed with the findings of a Home Office pathologist who believed Poppi was the victim of "a penetrative sexual assault". |
| In his judgement, Mr Justice Jackson said he could not accept Mr Worthington's evidence relating to the collapse of Poppi at the family home and was "not impressed" with his account of the events leading up to her death. | In his judgement, Mr Justice Jackson said he could not accept Mr Worthington's evidence relating to the collapse of Poppi at the family home and was "not impressed" with his account of the events leading up to her death. |
| Read more on this story on BBC Local Live Cumbria | |
| The Cumbria Police investigation and the actions of Cumbria County Council had been criticised in earlier hearings. | The Cumbria Police investigation and the actions of Cumbria County Council had been criticised in earlier hearings. |
| On 12 December 2012, Poppi awoke screaming at around 05:45 GMT, according to her father, and an ambulance was called. | |
| On admission to hospital and at post-mortem the youngster was found to have an earlier fracture of her right lower leg and other suspected acute injuries. | |
| 'Jumped to conclusions' | |
| The youngster was buried in February 2013, precluding a further post-mortem examination, after her body was released by then local coroner Ian Smith. | |
| Cumbria Police announced in March last year that no charges would be brought against anyone over Poppi's death. | |
| Lawyers representing Mr Worthington, who was not in court for the latest judgement, had told Mr Justice Jackson he was a "doting and loving" father and there was "no sufficient evidential basis" to suggest he abused his daughter before her death. | |
| Mr Justice Jackson said: "Careful assessment of the meticulous pathological and paediatric evidence has clearly established that {Poppi's] injuries were the result of trauma from outside the body. | |
| "My finding (in the previous judgment) was that the father perpetrated a penetrative ... assault on Poppi ... That remains my conclusion." | |
| It emerged previously that senior detectives thought pathologist Dr Alison Armour "may have jumped to conclusions" when she raised suspicions about Poppi's death as they decided not to investigate until the full post-mortem report was ready - but it was not finished until the following summer. | |
| Poppi's mother wept in court as Mr Justice Jackson gave a summary of his fresh judgement. |