THE GRAVE of tragic toddler Star Hobson still has no headstone – two years after she was brutally murdered by her mum’s lesbian lover.
Her devastated grandparents called in the cops after cash raised for the permanent memorial mysteriously "vanished".
They said the "unacceptable delay" had "deprived Star of dignity in death" and demanded to know where the money had gone.
Star’s plot is jointly owned by her feckless mum, Frankie Smith, 21, who is serving 12 years in jail for causing or allowing the death of her own child, and her dad, Jordan Hobson.
Relatives say they were assured by Jordan’s family that a fitting gravestone had been ordered at the start of the year after a fundraising drive.
But a weather beaten wooden cross bearing her name – typical of a pauper’s grave – is the only thing that identifies her final resting place in the corner of a quiet cemetery miles from her home.
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The solid ground where her tiny body lies is covered by a tatty piece of black tarp that lines a “gawdy” makeshift shrine of plastic windmills, trinkets and an array of empty lanterns.
Last night, Star’s great-grandad, Frank Smith, 69, who was among several family members to alert blundering social workers to her plight, said she was being neglected in life – and now in death.
He fumed: “It’s shameful and pathetic. How can there be no headstone? How can she continue to be deprived of dignity?
“The wooden cross that was placed there when she was buried was supposed to be temporary to mark her grave until the ground settled for a proper headstone.
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“If that’s not bad enough, it’s almost completely hidden by all this cheap tat that’s been left there to rot. There’s no real way of knowing that this is Star’s final resting place.
“It looks like a jumble sale or a stall at a fair – not a peaceful, dignified resting place for a toddler who was so cruelly let down.
“She needs a headstone with her name on it, concrete plinths – and all the plastic paraphernalia done away with. There’s no care here, no respect. It’s awful.
“At the end of last year, after the national outcry over her murder, thousands donated money for this very thing.
“Where’s all that money gone? I’m embarrassed. People keep saying ‘isn’t it time she had a headstone’.”
Star’s great-gran Anita Smith, 71, said: “I’m so angry about it.
“Our hands are tied because the plot doesn’t belong to us – it’s owned 50/50 by Star’s next of kin, Frankie and Jordan.
“We we’re told it had been ordered in March but have heard nothing since.
“I’ve been to the police about the donation money and they’re investigating. There’s nothing else I can do.”
TORTURED
Tragic Star was just 16-months-old when she was tortured and starved by evil boxer Savannah Brockhill, 29, who used her tiny body as a punch bag.
Star’s mum, Frankie, stood idly by as Brockhill battered her during a campaign of violence that lasted months.
Devastated Frank was among those who alerted social workers to Star’s plight but he and others were accused of being homophobic and their concerns dismissed as “malicious”.
His referral – the last of five – was closed on September 15, 2020. Seven days later Star suffered catastrophic injuries after she was kicked, punched or stamped on by Brockhill inside the couple’s grubby flat in Keighley, West Yorks.
A post-mortem later revealed a catalogue of horrific injuries inflicted over several months, including broken bones, cracked ribs, a 12cm skull fracture and countless bruises.
Smith and Brockhill repeatedly played on their sexuality to con easily duped social workers and “got away with it” each time. By the end, Star was unable to stand, let alone walk.
Smith was found guilty of causing or allowing Star’s death following a trial at Bradford Crown Court last December and was jailed for eight years before a review saw the prison sentence increased to 12.
Smirking ex-pub bouncer Brockhill, who laughed and joked during the trial, was sentenced to life for Star’s murder and ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years behind bars.
A damning report published in May called for a major overhaul of child protection services in the wake of Star and six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ murders.
It praised Arthur and Star’s devastated families for raising the alarm but found: “Too often their concerns were disregarded and not taken sufficiently seriously.
"We have drawn on their insights to inform proposals about how national child protection systems could better protect children in the future.
"In that way, the lives of Arthur and Star can become, in the words of a family member, a ‘footprint’ in making the changes that are needed."
A serious case review into the mistakes which ultimately led to Star’s murder is currently ongoing.
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A police spokesman said it launched an investigation into an allegation of fraud but it is understood they cannot proceed due to insufficient evidence.
The Sun contacted Jordan for a response but he was unavailable.
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