Hutton jailed for 15 years

Siobhan Freegard, the founder of Netmums.com - says the reaction amongst her online community to the death of a four-year-old who starved to death was "not again".

Relatives of Hamzah Khan's mother Amanda Hutton - who was today jailed for 15 years, say they blame social services.

Netmums offers support for parents here

Questions have been raised over the extent to which statutory agencies were involved with the mother of four-year-old Hamzah Khan who was starved to death.

The outgoing director of children's services in the city, Kath Tunstall, sent an email to Bradford MPs this morning saying "no serious concerns were reported to the statutory agencies". She added:

Read more: Galloway condemns services email over Hutton case

The father of a four-year-old boy who starved to death by his alcoholic mother has said that it could have been prevented if authorities had approached him.

Aftab Khan told ITV News that the "system has let my son down. They have all let my son down".

Read: Amanda Hutton jailed for 15 years

The step-father of Amanda Hutton has said social services and other agencies had failed to "look after" four-year-old Hamzah Khan, whose body was discovered at her home almost two years after he died in December 2009.

Mr Jackson added that it was "irrelevant" that Hutton had 'refused' help from services. He later added that he agreed with the sentencing, as she was jailed for 15 years today.

George Galloway, the Respect MP for Bradford West, where the mother of four-year-old boy Hamzah Khan lived, today condemned an email from the outgoing director of children's services in the city, Kath Tunstall, saying that "no serious concerns were reported to the statutory agencies".

Mr Galloway said he believed this was "in conflict with evidence which was given at the trial".

"But in any event it is deplorable that Ms Tunstall should try to wash her, and her department's hands, of any involvement or culpability in advance of the serious case review into what went wrong," he said.

A Serious Case Review has taken place as the alcoholic mother who starved her four-year-old son to death was jailed for 15 years today.

Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting, said various agencies' activities did not result in Hamzah Khan's body being discovered. Mr Greaney added:

The court heard how salesman Tariq Khan was a "mummy's boy" who acted out of "misplaced loyalty" to Hutton. And the judge questioned the role of Aftab Khan - the father of all of Hutton's eight children.

The jury heard how Aftab Khan subjected Hutton to domestic violence over many years and in 2008, after he was arrested for an assault on her, told police that Hamzah was undernourished and claimed he was going to inform social services. But there is no record that call was ever made.

Tariq Khan left Bradford Crown Court in a media scrum after being given a two-year suspended sentence for preventing the burial of his little brother Hamzah. He refused to answer reporters' questions, although he did tell Calendar's Jon Hill that he just wished to be 'left alone for a while'.