Trial opens of social worker in Climbie case

A senior social worker accused of refusing to turn up and account for her failings in the case of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié appeared before a court yesterday.

In the first such case, Carole Baptiste is said to have conducted a six-month campaign of "obstruction, obfuscation and non-co-operation". She could be jailed for up to six months if convicted of deliberately breaching an inquiry summons.

Victoria was "imprisoned, beaten and starved" for months on end before being killed by her father's aunt and her partner in north London in February 2000. Four local authorities, two police teams and two hospitals had all been involved in her case.

Ms Baptiste, 39, the former team manager in charge of the Haringey council social worker who closed the file on the girl hours before she died, was considered an "extremely important witness" to a public inquiry that promised to provide a turning point for child protection. Yet, despite repeated attempts "simply to secure a modicum of co-operation" from her, she refused to help, the hearing before Camberwell Green magistrates was told yesterday.

The inquiry's chairman, Lord Laming, ordered that the former social worker be prosecuted after issuing "umpteen warnings".

Ms Baptiste, a born-again Christian from Clapham, south London, denies the charge.

Yesterday her barrister, Peter Herbert, insisted she had been unable to attend earlier because of a mental breakdown. He said the inquiry had acted wrongly in failing to consider Ms Baptiste's medical reports, which reflected her depressive mental state from 1999 onwards, when deciding to prosecute.

Mr Herbert said her illness was so severe in January 2000 that her daughter was taken out of her care. At the time of her non-appearance in December 2001, Ms Baptiste had been prescribed Valium, he added.

The case was adjourned to 15 August.