The mother of murdered toddler Star Hobson has had her sentence for causing or allowing her daughter's death increased to 12 years.
The jail sentence handed to the mother of murdered toddler Star Hobson was "too low", the attorney general said at the end of 2021 Attorney General Suella Braverman said this was "unduly lenient" and referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal. Ms Braverman MP said: "This is a tragic and extremely upsetting case and my thoughts are with all those who loved Star Hobson.
Star died in 2020 after months of "neglect, cruelty and injury".
Star's mother Frankie Smith, 20, was sentenced to eight years Bradford Crown Court in December. 2021for causing or allowing her death. Smith's partner, Savannah Brockhill, 28, was jailed for a minimum of 25 years for murder.
However, when announcing the referral of Smith's sentence to the Court of Appeal the attorney general confirmed she would not be referring Brockhill's sentence to the Court of Appeal.
She said: "I can only challenge a sentence if it is not just lenient but unduly so, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence.
"The threshold is a high one, and the test was not met in this case."
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At the Court of Appeal hearing in March 2022 Three senior judges considered the case and extended the original term given to Smith by four years raining it to 12 years imprisonment
The original sentencing hearing was told Star was "caught in the crossfire" of Smiths toxic relationship with Brockhill who she had met in a bar when Brockhill was working as door security, this abusive relationship between her Mother and Brockhill resulted in Star's death at 16 months old from "catastrophic" blunt-force injuries.
As she delivered the Court of Appeal's ruling, Lady Justice Sharp said Smith's original sentence was unduly lenient because it "did not reflect the overall seriousness of the offending".
She said Smith had shown a "deliberate disregard" for her daughter's welfare and had failed to take any steps to protect her, treating the toddler with "callous indifference", cruelty and neglect.
She said Smith had failed to contact the police or social services, seek medical attention or help from family members - some of whom had reported their concerns to social services after seeing Star with bruises.
Star was "particularly vulnerable due to her very young age", the judge said, and Smith had been a neglectful parent who had remained in the relationship with Brockhill for her own "selfish" gains.
Sitting alongside Mr Justice Sweeney and Mr Justice Jeremy Baker, she said the sentencing judge had been wrong to hand Smith a lesser sentence based on mitigation such as being a victim of domestic abuse and the fact she had lost her daughter.
"In our judgment no less a sentence than 12 years would meet the justice of this case,"
Mrs Justice Sharp
Tom Little QC, representing the Attorney General's Office, told the court the defendant had participated in "degradation of Star and sadistic behaviour".
"This was not a case where the offender was so racked with guilt and pleaded guilty at the very first opportunity," he said.
Mr Little further argued Star's vulnerability and a delay in calling 999 on the day of her death were not taken into account by sentencing judge Mrs Justice Lambert.
Smith's barrister Zafar Ali QC said it was "simply incorrect" to say she was not remorseful, and that she "broke down several occasions during the crown's case in the trial".
He said the case had been "permeated by domestic violence" and instances of physical abuse against Smith by Brockhill, whom he described as "a very intimidating character".
Speaking before the hearing, Star's great-grandfather David Fawcett said: "It doesn't matter what sentence she gets, it'll never bring Star back."
He told BBC News he had been visiting Smith in prison and was the only family member who had visited recently.
"I've been to see Frankie last Sunday and she's not doing good," he said.
The Attorney General welcomed the judge's decision and said: "This is a tragic and extremely upsetting case and my thoughts are with all those who loved Star Hobson.
"This case involved prolonged and multiple cruelty and neglect, deliberate disregard, and a failure to take any steps to protect or seek assistance for her before and after her murder."