Report reveals serious errors in Toni-Ann’s care

A report into the death of seven-year-old Toni-Ann Byfield has revealed serious flaws in her care.

The schoolgirl was shot dead alongside Bertram Byfield, 41, a convicted drug dealer, at his flat in London on September 14, 2003.

At the time, Toni-Ann was under the care of Birmingham social services and had been placed with a woman beleived to be her Aunt. But the girl's mother, Roselyn Richards, 32, has blamed her death on social services failing to do their job properly.

The report admitted that social services had failed in a number of respects and that the child had been let down.

The review also revealed that social services did not know enough about the girl's father and had failed to assess all the risks in the case.

Toni-Ann, who had been living in the UK for four years, was murdered alongside Bertram Byfield, a convicted crack cocaine dealer, who was originally thought to have been her father.

Byfield, also known as Anthony Pinnock in Jamaica, had served a nine-year prison sentence and survived a previous attempted shooting in 2002. Scotland Yard believe that he was affiliated to a Jamaican drug cartel and may have been murdered over a drug debt. It is thought seven-year-old Toni-Ann was murdered to prevent her from identifying the killers.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Basu has also appealed for information from anyone who knew Byfield's movements in Jamaica or knew the gang he was involved with.

Mr Basu said a white-handled bread knife found at the scene of the murders in a bedsit in Kensal Green, might give a clue to the killer's identity.

A reward of £20,000 has been offered for information leading to a prosecution.

(KmcA)