Baby killers

The former Accrington couple, now of Cronkshaw Street, Burnley, have pleaded guilty to charges of cruelty to Levi.

They are both in custody and will be sentenced later.

KILLER Chris Rose's sisters Margaret and Carole say they can never forgive him for the way their baby nephew died.

"The violence he suffered is too horrific to think about," said Margaret. She also blames Christopher for their mother losing the will to live following two major operations last year.

Doreen Clark, who was 45, died two months ago as her son awaited trial accused of killing her grandson.

Margaret said: "I blame him for mum giving up too early. She died of a broken heart."

Both sisters believe the jury reached the right decision in finding Kelly guilty, but both have sympathy for Kelly as a victim herself of physical abuse by their brother.

Margaret said: "We will never know who has done it. Neither of them will admit to it."

The couple's first child, Levi's twin sister, and the baby Kelly gave birth to while awaiting trial, are living with other members of the two families.

Kelly's father and step-mother, Trevor and Susan Catlow, of Nuttall Street, Accrington, declined to comment following the verdict.

SIXTEEN-year-old Kelly Catlow had just left school when she met 17-year-old Christopher Rose.

By the time she was 18 she was a mother to three children under18 months old and a "battered wife" suffering violent abuse from her drug-taking boyfriend.

Today she is a mother for the fourth time, having given birth to another baby in January while awaiting trial.

The seeds of tragedy were sown while she was sitting her GCSE exams at Rhyddings High School, Oswaldtwistle, the town where she lived with her parents.

Christopher was living with his older sister, Margaret, in Chestnut Grove, Accrington, and working at Plan-It Welding, Green Haworth.

The couple met in Fern Gore through Christopher's friends.

Margaret said: "It was one of these lads that Kelly was going out with and there was a big competition to impress her and she finally went with Chris. Chris kept bragging how nice she was."

Very shortly afterwards Kelly became pregnant and they set up home in Within Grove, Huncoat, where the relationship began to go seriously wrong. Margaret said: "Kelly did not like it when Chris was always out. When he came back she would be on at him. They would start arguing, fists would be going and furniture flying."

Margaret said Kelly always seemed to want the best for her children but struggled to cope.

Sister Carole added: "Their personalities clashed and Chris taking drugs made it worse."

But his elder sisters can recall a very different Chris, "the baby of the family".

Following their parents' divorce when Christopher was about two they lived with their mum in Dale Street, Accrington, before moving to Queens Road West.

Margaret said: "Everybody loved Chris. He used to go around the neighbours asking if they wanted anything from the shop. He did a paper round and a milk round."

All three kept in touch with their father, who moved to Burnley. They said their brother started to rebel and become a tearaway following their mother's second marriage when he was about 12 or 13.

Christopher's relationship with his stepfather was stormy.

He played truant from St Christopher's High School and got in with a "bad crowd".

Following his mother's second divorce he started getting involved with drugs, leaving home at 16 to live with his sister, Carole, in Within Grove.

She found him a job at a footwear firm in Burnley but he was laid off after three months.

AN AUNT of baby Levi has called for an inquiry into the way the case was handled by Social Services and Burnley General Hospital.

Margaret Rose, 24, claims not enough was done to protect five-month-old Levi and his twin sister after warnings they were at risk.

She believes her baby nephew's violent death could have been prevented, and says she is considering a private prosecution for negligence.

Mother-of-two Margaret said: "I just want some answers why more wasn't done and nothing was taken any further.

"Social services should have taken them away and done a thorough investigation. They were in hospital so many times we can't understand why no-one noticed or questioned any injuries.

"There has been some breakdown somewhere and I want to prevent it happening again," added Margaret, of Warwick Close, Church.

Only weeks before Levi's death Margaret said she told hospital staff there was a possibility the twins were being physically abused.

She said: "We were frightened for the children's lives and that something was going to be done when it was too late."

Margaret said she reported that she had seen Levi with a black eye, that both her brother Christopher and Kelly had admitted hitting and slapping the twins, and that Chris had been very violent towards her and Kelly.

She said: "I thought it was time they were put on some kind of child protection list and kept a closer eye on.

"The nurse asked Kelly if she wanted the social worker involved and Kelly said 'yes'." Margaret and her sister Carole Brine, 25, also revealed that a week before Levi's death they were told Social Services came within hours of taking the twins when their parents did not turn up to collect the children, who were due to be discharged from hospital on a Wednesday.

Both aunties kept ringing the hospital to see if the twins had been collected. Margaret recalled: "We told the nurses we hope they don't pick them up then they will be safe.

"I was told if they were not picked up by 2pm on the Friday then Social Services were taking them into their hands. They picked them up at 12.30pm. If they had been later by an hour-and-a-half it could have made a big difference," she added.

The sisters said their concern for the welfare of the family began before the twins were born, when Chris and Kelly were living in Within Grove, Huncoat, with their first child.

Speaking immediately after the tragedy, Carole said: "I told Social Services in Accrington before the twins were born that something was going to go wrong. I told them the mother had no idea about the day-to-day routines of caring for a baby, and that the parents were violent to each other. "They never seemed to have enough nappies or baby talc. Our Chris got all the money and spent it on petty drugs," added Carole, who now lives in Rishton.

Margaret said: "It was just the state of the house. They used to live in squalor. It was disgusting."

Lancashire County Council said it was unable to comment until legal proceedings are completed, but said a further review of the handling of the case will be now be carried out.

Following baby Levi's death a detailed review of the case management was undertaken by a multi-agency group of senior managers at the request of the Lancashire child protection committee.

The statement adds: "The initial conclusion of the review recognised that there would be a need to reconvene to examine again in the light of information disclosed at, or following, the trial. This further review will now take place and any action identified as a result will be reported to the Lancashire child protection committee."

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