Star Hobson’s Tragic Death: Heartbreaking Footage Shown in Court
Star Hobson, just a toddler, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest and died in hospital on 22 September 2020. Her mother, Frankie Smith, 20, and her mother’s partner, Savannah Brockhill, 28, both from Keighley, West Yorkshire, face murder charges but deny the accusations.
Shocking Videos Reveal Abuse
At Bradford Crown Court, the jury watched chilling mobile phone videos of Frankie Smith shouting at Star. In one clip, Smith wakes the sleeping child, saying: “Star get up, it’s not your nap time yet,” before adding, “Evil aren’t I?”
Smith admitted to sending the video to Brockhill. When questioned, she said Brockhill had told her to “be firm” with Star. “I tried to be,” Smith said.
“Why wake her up in that hostile manner, that horrible way?” asked Smith’s lawyer, Zafar Ali QC.
“Savannah said I had to be firm with her,” Smith replied.
Regret and Justification
Smith expressed regret over the footage. “It makes me feel sick. I should never have spoken to her like that,” she said.
Another clip showed Star falling off a chair, visibly exhausted. Smith admitted that at the time she found it funny, claiming she’d seen similar videos online and “didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.” She added, “Now I feel it was cruel. It wasn’t a nice thing to do.”
Bruises, Police Visits, and Catastrophic Injuries
The court heard how Star was taken to a hospital doctor after a police officer noticed bruises on her face during a home visit. Smith claimed the injuries were from Star falling against a coffee table while learning to walk.
Prosecution earlier revealed Star died from “utterly catastrophic injuries” caused by repeated assaults by Smith and Brockhill. The trial is ongoing.
