How could a little boy starve to death in modern Britain? He was locked in a flat clinging to his mother’s dead body for TWO WEEKS... and not a single neighbour or relative noticed

[*]Esther Eketi-Mulo, 24, and son Chadrack, four, were found dead last November

[*]Esther died from an epileptic attack at Trelawney Estate in Hackney, east London

[*]Autistic Chadrack, who is mute, could not call for help and died from starvation

[*]Today we ask why it took two weeks for the alarm to be raised in modern Britain 


Supposing there were ever any doubts that Esther Eketi-Mulo and her young son were loved, then the heart-rending scenes at their joint funeral banished them. Hundreds of mourners stood inside the chapel at Manor Park Cemetery in East London to await the arrival of 24-year-old Esther and four-year-old Chadrack last November. Their coffins, one white and heartbreakingly smaller than the other, were surrounded by a sea of flowers, including two giant floral displays fashioned into the words ‘sister’ and ‘nephew’. Old school friends wore T-shirts bearing photographs of Esther’s face with her name printed beneath them. Chadrack’s headmistress placed a flower on to his coffin as it was lowered into the ground on top of his mother’s. But amid all the grief there were haunting questions, too, about the horrific circumstances surrounding the pair’s deaths.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4669004/How-little-boy-starve-death-modern-Britain.html#ixzz4m2NsJQqN 
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The little boy have lived his entire life under Tory austerity.  Social workers cut to below a bare minimum. 
 Speaks volumes.

Wow only Andy could invent a load of drivel to blame the Tories here.
There were not under social workers, or would they need to be.
Are you claiming all single mum's now needs to have social workers now?

Try reading the article, as it may help




Coroner Mary Hassell, who investigated the case, has now demanded a nationwide schools alert system to ensure pupil absences are properly investigated in a bid to prevent anything like this happening again.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4669004/How-little-boy-starve-death-modern-Britain.html#ixzz4m2dtk9nl 

That post by andy pandy has got to be one of the most stupid he has ever made, fucking unbelievable.

yeah this tory austerity causes all sorts of problems...


there was a bloke knocked over round our way last week, all cos of tory austerity, and lets not forget....there are thunderstroms predicted, again all caused by tory austerity ,meaning cuts to the met office

The Met office, around my area they get it wrong every time, heavy rain and thunder storms they said, it's dead calm with no storms and bright Sunshine.

Angry Andy wrote:The little boy have lived his entire life under Tory austerity.  Social workers cut to below a bare minimum. 
 Speaks volumes.

Were they under social services? If not your point is moot.

eddie wrote:

Angry Andy wrote:The little boy have lived his entire life under Tory austerity.  Social workers cut to below a bare minimum. 
 Speaks volumes.

Were they under social services? If not your point is moot.

If not, why??

Original Quill wrote:

eddie wrote:

Angry Andy wrote:The little boy have lived his entire life under Tory austerity.  Social workers cut to below a bare minimum. 
 Speaks volumes.

Were they under social services? If not your point is moot.

If not, why??

Possibly she was considered to be fine and coping with her own health and his autism? Being autistic doesn't automatically mean the child is at risk and placed under social care. A boy in my daughter's class is autistic, (what a fabulous mum she is too!), and she recieves no help.

It's an awful way to die and had he not been mute, he may well have been able to save his own life by calling for help.

This story has made some people VERY, VERY upset. I am specifically talking about daily mail readers .... and they are not usually known for being soft hearted. Some of them are so upset I feel like reaching out and giving them a big cyber hug, to make them feel better.

The thought of a small bewildered autistic boy dying of hunger and thirst, in front of a rotting corpse, is distressing. But that's life, and life is sometimes sad. So there you go.

where were these friends/teachers/relatives when the mother "dropped of the radar"

Angry Andy wrote:The little boy have lived his entire life under Tory austerity.  Social workers cut to below a bare minimum. 
 Speaks volumes.

Social workers should probably have had (at the very least) an interest in this, given that mum has unpredictble epileptic fits where she loses consciousness, plus the little boy's disability is severe.

The relatives should have been in closer touch with the family too.

Jules wrote:

Angry Andy wrote:The little boy have lived his entire life under Tory austerity.  Social workers cut to below a bare minimum. 
 Speaks volumes.

Social workers should probably have had (at the very least) an interest in this, given that mum has unpredictble epileptic fits where she loses consciousness, plus the little boy's disability is severe.

The relatives should have been in closer touch with the family too.

Why would they?
Half a million people suffer from this condition in this country.
There is no reason why they would, as anyone can have a tragic event occur to them from a variety of medical conditions.. Are you saying any asthmatic single parents should have social workers?

That is not what social workers are for.

Schools check up on absentees but during the holidays they are obvs not there so yes, the social workers should have kept an eye on this very vulnerable family of two.
I did say the relatives should have kept in close touch too.

Jules wrote:Schools check up on absentees but during the holidays they are obvs not there so yes, the social workers should have kept an eye on this very vulnerable family of two.
I did say the relatives should have kept in close touch too.

Again how is she vulnerable?
Most people do not die from Epilepsy.
What you are saying is that anyone with even a remote chance of dying and single parents should have social workers. Which would mean millions. As you have asthmatics, diabetics etc. How many millions of social workers would you need and at what cost?

Thorin wrote:

Jules wrote:Schools check up on absentees but during the holidays they are obvs not there so yes, the social workers should have kept an eye on this very vulnerable family of two.
I did say the relatives should have kept in close touch too.

Again how is she vulnerable?
Most people do not die from Epilepsy.
What you are saying is that anyone with even a remote chance of dying and single parents should have social workers. Which would mean millions. As you have asthmatics, diabetics etc. How many millions of social workers would you need and at what cost?

Vulnerability is not the same as being ''at risk of death'' ...quit being so annoying hyperbolic and OTT.  An epileptic on their own is  usually no problem but with a small dependent child or a baby, they will tell you themselves that the situation is vulnerable.
Even though I have no diseases or ailments whatsoever, I felt incredibly vulnerable and insecure whenever alone in the house with a helpless newborn - till I got used to him.

Jules wrote:

Thorin wrote:

Again how is she vulnerable?
Most people do not die from Epilepsy.
What you are saying is that anyone with even a remote chance of dying and single parents should have social workers. Which would mean millions. As you have asthmatics, diabetics etc. How many millions of social workers would you need and at what cost?

Vulnerability is not the same as being ''at risk of death'' ...quit being so annoying hyperbolic and OTT.  An epileptic on their own is  usually no problem but with a small dependent child or a baby, they will tell you themselves that the situation is vulnerable.
Even though I have no diseases or ailments whatsoever, I felt incredibly vulnerable and insecure whenever alone in the house with a helpless newborn - till I got used to him.

Oh dear, as soon as I show you really have no idea what you are talking about and say in hindsight after her death. You again act childish. So again the point still stands with any parent who suffers from a condition where there is a possibility of dying, which again includes asthmatics, diabetics etc. Its so absurd and why nobody in any rational mind would even listen to such idiocy. I know of no single parents who have these conditions that believe they are vulnerable families based on their conditions. Hence why social workers are not assigned. Its a waste of resource when they are needed for genuine cases of vulnerability. Again how much do you think it would cost for the millions of social workers needed to just carry out your absurd plan to have social workers for people who are not vulnerable? You do realise most people manage their conditions do you not?

And this is not about a newborn, for goodness sake

Angry Andy wrote:The little boy have lived his entire life under Tory austerity.  Social workers cut to below a bare minimum. 
 Speaks volumes.

Single parents aren't under the jurisdiction of social workers nor does this have anything to do with austerity and the Government. It's more to do with this girl's family or friends not contacting her for two weeks. It's a tragic accident.

This from a friend...

Another friend believes that given Chadrack’s disability, social services should have been involved in his welfare. ‘I blame the school and social services,’ says the friend. ‘For nobody to go to the home for over two weeks, it doesn’t make sense. Someone should have checked.’

Erm, yes, you.

The school may well have phoned or written. It's not even up to the neighbours who would not pry. But this poor girl's friends and in particular, her family, should have known after a few days of her not answering calls that something was wrong. Anything out of character is a sign, surely. It's not like it was a just a few days...two weeks FFS?

Ah, OK, the school did visit.

When Chadrack failed to turn up for lessons, several calls were made to Esther’s mobile phone, a standard practice in primary schools and some secondaries across the UK.
But the only number staff had on file belonged to Esther, meaning they were unable to call anyone else despite being concerned about Chadrack’s absence.
While staff did visit Trelawney House between three to five days after he failed to turn up to school, there was no reply at the intercom and they were unable to gain access to the building, despite visiting twice.

Thorin wrote:

And this is not about a newborn, for goodness sake

Have you not worked out that the reason I mentioned newborn is that the level of helplessness, and full dependency on the mum is the same as with a severely disabled 5 yo child who does not even have any speech (totally mute).

Why do you get so excited when someone has a different opinion to you? No wonder you are so often left talking to yourself. With all your expertise on every single subject it's a travesty that you are not running the country!

Where were the family of this tragic pair.

Breakdown in family values might be now used as a trite expression....but had the family and friends, the ones who were weeping and wailing at their funeral, actually cared enough when the mum and son were alive......the outcome could have been very different.

Syl wrote:Where were the family of this tragic pair.

Breakdown in family values might be now used as a trite expression....but had the family and friends, the ones who were weeping and wailing at their funeral, actually cared enough when the mum and son were alive......the outcome could have been very different.

It's just so so sad.

Jules wrote:

Thorin wrote:

And this is not about a newborn, for goodness sake

Have you not worked out that the reason I mentioned newborn is that the level of helplessness, and full dependency on the mum is the same as with a severely disabled 5 yo child who does not even have any speech (totally mute).

Why do you get so excited when someone has a different opinion to you?  No wonder you are so often left talking to yourself. With all your expertise on every single subject it's a travesty that you are not running the country!

Have you worked out that any child below 4 is basically helpless on its own.
That means by your absurd reasoning all single parents should have social workers if they have many medical conditions. They are not as helpless as a baby, but none the less none of them could fend for themselves. Its not excitement Jules, Its just being stunned how you come out with things, which is more to do with you trying to defend Andy more than anything or his poor original comments.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Syl wrote:Where were the family of this tragic pair.

Breakdown in family values might be now used as a trite expression....but had the family and friends, the ones who were weeping and wailing at their funeral, actually cared enough when the mum and son were alive......the outcome could have been very different.

It's just so so sad.

Heartbreaking.
I find it so sad when people are left for days or weeks, alone, suffering, and eventually die...obviously no one cared enough.
Yet after they are gone, family, friends, neighbours come out of the woodwork to blame everyone but themselves for a tragedy that could have been prevented.

Thorin wrote:

Jules wrote:
Have you not worked out that the reason I mentioned newborn is that the level of helplessness, and full dependency on the mum is the same as with a severely disabled 5 yo child who does not even have any speech (totally mute).

Why do you get so excited when someone has a different opinion to you?  No wonder you are so often left talking to yourself. With all your expertise on every single subject it's a travesty that you are not running the country!

Have you worked out that any child below 4 is basically helpless on its own.
That means by your absurd reasoning all  single parents should have social workers if they have many medical conditions. They are not as helpless as a baby, but none the less none of them could fend for themselves. Its not excitement Jules, Its just being stunned how you come out with things, which is more to do with you trying to defend Andy more than anything or his poor original comments.

HORSE SHIT! So you are now an expert on children, like you're an expert on everything else.

A smart 3 yo can save her mum's life in several different ways. Even a smart 2 yo has a fighting chance. Like eg answering the telephone, or alerting neighbours through a letterbox, which has happened several times.

There are several stories like the one in this link. http://news.sky.com/story/sofia-3-calls-999-to-save-her-unconscious-mother-10679524

I'm proper bored with you!

Jules wrote:

Thorin wrote:

Have you worked out that any child below 4 is basically helpless on its own.
That means by your absurd reasoning all  single parents should have social workers if they have many medical conditions. They are not as helpless as a baby, but none the less none of them could fend for themselves. Its not excitement Jules, Its just being stunned how you come out with things, which is more to do with you trying to defend Andy more than anything or his poor original comments.

HORSE SHIT! So you are now an expert on children, like you're an expert on everything else.

A smart 3 yo can save her mum's life in several different ways.  Even a smart 2 yo has a fighting chance. Like eg answering the telephone, or alerting neighbours through a letterbox, which has happened several times.

There are several stories like the one in this link.  http://news.sky.com/story/sofia-3-calls-999-to-save-her-unconscious-mother-10679524

I'm proper bored with you!  

There is the important word for you, "smart". Place that situation a hundred times and how many would have been smart enough to act in the same way?

You see this is why your reasoning is so absurd, that you expect to hold every 3 year old to this same standard.

The point is again you are arguing that now single parents because of a condition are vulnerable, which most single parents would be aghast at such a suggestion. Or to be visited by social workers.

Syl wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

It's just so so sad.

Heartbreaking.
I find it so sad when people are left for days or weeks, alone, suffering, and eventually die...obviously no one cared enough.
Yet after they are gone, family,  friends, neighbours come out of the woodwork to blame everyone but themselves for a tragedy that could  have been prevented.

She lived in a high rise, didn't she? I do think that regular housing with neighbours who see you coming and going might have avoided this.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Syl wrote:

Heartbreaking.
I find it so sad when people are left for days or weeks, alone, suffering, and eventually die...obviously no one cared enough.
Yet after they are gone, family,  friends, neighbours come out of the woodwork to blame everyone but themselves for a tragedy that could  have been prevented.

She lived in a high rise, didn't she?   I do think that regular housing with neighbours who see you coming and going might have avoided this.

Maybe....but there are phones to keep in touch and check on people.
I phoned my mum every single day if I didn't see her...it's not hard to subtly keep an eye on vulnerable people.

Syl wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

She lived in a high rise, didn't she?   I do think that regular housing with neighbours who see you coming and going might have avoided this.

Maybe....but there are phones to keep in touch and check on people.
I phoned my mum every single day if I didn't see her...it's not hard to subtly keep an eye on vulnerable people.

Me too. We'd chat about all sorts.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Syl wrote:

Maybe....but there are phones to keep in touch and check on people.
I phoned my mum every single day if I didn't see her...it's not hard to subtly keep an eye on vulnerable people.

Me too.  We'd chat about all sorts.

I would do anything to have just one more chat.

My mum was funny....we had a loose agreement that I would ring at 1pm on the days we didn't see each other. I would ring, she would pick up and say...I just KNEW it would be you.

Syl wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

She lived in a high rise, didn't she?   I do think that regular housing with neighbours who see you coming and going might have avoided this.

Maybe....but there are phones to keep in touch and check on people.
I phoned my mum every single day if I didn't see her...it's not hard to subtly keep an eye on vulnerable people.

In reality what would have been best is a lifeline pendent and system. That where even there is no response a key holder would then have to visit to check up on them. The child could be taught to press this in an emergency. Which happens often with the elderly, but in reality here. Would the mother have thought she would die from her condition? Unlikely

Thorin wrote:

Syl wrote:

Maybe....but there are phones to keep in touch and check on people.
I phoned my mum every single day if I didn't see her...it's not hard to subtly keep an eye on vulnerable people.

In reality what would have been best is a lifeline pendent and system. That where even there is no response a key holder would then have to visit to check up on them. The child could be taught to press this in an emergency. Which happens often with the elderly, but in reality here. Would the mother have thought she would die from her condition? Unlikely

No, what would have been best was the people who knew this mum and child, the ones who are so upset that they were left to rot alone for 2 weeks, had actually helped them when they were alive.

Syl wrote:

Thorin wrote:

In reality what would have been best is a lifeline pendent and system. That where even there is no response a key holder would then have to visit to check up on them. The child could be taught to press this in an emergency. Which happens often with the elderly, but in reality here. Would the mother have thought she would die from her condition? Unlikely

No, what would have been best was the people who knew this  mum and child, the ones who are so upset that they were left to rot alone for 2 weeks,  had actually helped them when they were alive.

But not everyone contacts everyone each day. Its easy to say this in hindsight. I think the school could have contacted the police out o concern, if they had been calling and getting no response, but again its easy to say also in hindsight. I think its wrong to start pointing the finger here to be honest.

Syl wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

Me too.  We'd chat about all sorts.

I would do anything to have just one more chat.

My mum was funny....we had a loose agreement that I would ring at 1pm on the days we didn't see each other. I would ring, she would pick up and say...I just KNEW it would be you.

I know. We'd chat for hours. I think women can do that. Men are like....what on earth do you find to talk about for two hours?

HoratioTarr wrote:

Syl wrote:

I would do anything to have just one more chat.

My mum was funny....we had a loose agreement that I would ring at 1pm on the days we didn't see each other. I would ring, she would pick up and say...I just KNEW it would be you.

I know.  We'd chat for hours.  I think women can do that.  Men are like....what on earth do you find to talk about for two hours?

To be honest i would rather meet and chat for hours than do so over the phone as to me body language is more important when listening to someone. As you can better gauge the conversation.

Thorin wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

I know.  We'd chat for hours.  I think women can do that.  Men are like....what on earth do you find to talk about for two hours?

To be honest i would rather meet and chat for hours than do so over the phone as to me body language is more important when listening to someone. As you can better gauge the conversation.

I lived 40 miles away.

Thorin wrote:

Syl wrote:

No, what would have been best was the people who knew this  mum and child, the ones who are so upset that they were left to rot alone for 2 weeks,  had actually helped them when they were alive.

But not everyone contacts everyone each day. Its easy to say this in hindsight. I think the school could have contacted the police out o concern, if they had been calling and getting no response, but again its easy to say also in hindsight. I think its wrong to start pointing the finger here to be honest.

It's happened several times over the past few years, people die alone,  left to rot for weeks,  only found when neighbours eventually realise the old lady or man hasn't been seen for ages and an odd smell is noted.

Then the family come out of the woodwork, blaming social services, care workers, immediate neighbours, uncle Tom Cobley an all.

You think it's wrong to point fingers....I think it's wrong to live in a society that allows a young mother and her child to die unoticed.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Thorin wrote:

To be honest i would rather meet and chat for hours than do so over the phone as to me body language is more important when listening to someone. As you can better gauge the conversation.

I lived 40 miles away.

Still would rather meet in person, but my point was mainly where people are local.

Years ago, in a similar case, a small preschool child was trapped at home with his mum's dead body.    Eventually he alerted a passing neighbour by shouting thru his own letterbox, or banging on the window or summat. By doing this, he literally saved his own life, but it was too late for the mum who lain dead over a week and undergone awful decomposition.


In another astonishing case, an elderly American woman died in her car  in her garage  (heart attack I think) and - I kid you not - it was estimated that SEVEN years went by before her mummified body was discovered by her relatives.  

Plus I know of a couple of real life cases of people I knew personally.  It's more common than we imagine.