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Social workers came under fire after an investigation into the abuse of a disabled 4-year-old girl described by a detective as "one of the worst cases" he had seen.
The girl, who has cerebral palsy, suffered at the hands of her mother, Kimberly Harte, 23, and her boyfriend, Samuel Duncan, 27, from west London, who were sentenced to a total of 22 years in jail.
The "systematic violence" included pouring boiling water over her hands, kicking her in the groin and locking her naked in the lavatory every night, sometimes forcing her to eat her own faeces.
Although the girl was initially removed by Westminster City Council's social services after domestic violence between Harte and Duncan, she was returned home despite the concerns of her foster carers. Within four weeks, Duncan broke her arm.
