A boy who was crushed to death by a car seat was “invisible” to social workers who missed a string of chances to save him. Alfie Lamb, three, was left to be killed by his mother’s boyfriend despite evidence during his short life that it was likely he would suffer “significant harm”, a review revealed.
He died in the footwell of an Audi car when Stephen Waterson reversed the electric seat into him in February 2018. Social workers had closed Alfie’s case in error when they learned Waterson was seeing his mother, Adrian Hoare.
It was just two months after the toddler had been hospitalised with head injuries. Alfie had been left living with Waterson despite reports the thug threatened to kill him eight months before he died.