November
2, 1991:
Victoria
Adjo Climbie
is born near Abidjan, the Ivory Coast.
November
1998:
Seven-year-old
Victoria
Adjo Climbie leaves Abobo in the Ivory Coast to lives with her aunt,
Marie-Therese
Kouao initially in Paris. Kouao takes the girl to London after she is
pursued
by French authorities over benefit payments.
April
- June
1999:
On
arrival in England,
Victoria's name is given as Anna because of the assumed identity on the
false passport used to get her into Europe.
Kouao
takes a job
as a hospital cleaner and the pair initially live in a hostel in north
London. Some weeks later Victoria is on a bus with her aunt when they
meet
Carl Manning, the driver, for the first time.
July
1999:
Kouao
and Victoria,
who speaks no English, move into Carl Manning's home in Tottenham,
north
London. Within days, Victoria would be suffering abuse at the hands of
Carl Manning. That abuse would lead to her torture and death.
July
14, 1999:
Victoria
makes her
first visit to the Central Middlesex Hospital after the daughter of her
child minder suspects the girl has non-accidental injuries. The doctor
accepts Kouao's story that Victoria has inflicted the wounds on herself
by scratching at scabies sores.
During
this period,
doctors alert child protection authorities as a precaution. Haringey
social
worker Lisa Arthurworrey and PC Karen Jones are assigned to the case.
They
later cancel a home visit scheduled for 4 August after hearing about
the
scabies.
July
24, 1999:
Victoria
is taken
to North Middlesex Hospital's casualty department with scalding to her
head and face. Doctors immediately suspect that the injuries have been
deliberately inflicted.
Kouao
tells Lisa
Arthurworrey and PC Jones that she poured hot water over Victoria to
try
and stop her scratching her scalp. She says that Victoria caused other
injuries with utensils.
August
6, 1999:
Victoria
is discharged
from the hospital and is collected by Kouao after her explanation for
the
injuries is accepted by child protection authorities.
October
1999:
Trial
evidence reveals
that from October 1999 until the following January, Carl Manning forces
Victoria to sleep in a bin liner in the bath every night at this
flat.
November
1, 1999:
Kouao
tells social
workers that Carl Manning has sexually assaulted Victoria. She
withdraws
the accusation the next day. PC Jones is asked to investigate why but
takes
no further action after her letter to Kouao remains unanswered.
February
24,
2000:
Victoria
is rushed
to North Middlesex Hospital suffering from a combination of
malnutrition
and hypothermia. Doctors later transfer her to an intensive care ward
at
St Mary's Hospital in west London.
February
25,
2000:
Victoria
is declared
dead at 3.15pm at St Mary's Hospital.
Dr
Nathaniel Carey,
the Home Office pathologist who examines her body, finds 128 separate
injuries
and scars, many of them cigarette burns, and describes them as:
"the
worst
case of child abuse I've encountered"

Read
About The Victoria Climbie Charitable Fund
Read
Updates About Victoria's Story
Timeline
Of Events In Victoria's Short Life
Return
To Victoria's story

For information about preventing child
abuse in the
England click below. If they can't help you, ask for someone who can. NEVER
give
up looking for help for an abused child!
Call
this number
to report child abuse ANY WHERE in the United States!
1-800-4-A-Child
1-800-422-4453


   



My sincerest appreciation goes
out to
Diane Trembly for allowing me to use one
of her beautiful Angels to
make the graphics
for this set. Please visit her site,
by clicking the link below, to
see all
of her amazing work.


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