'You took my baby, now he's dead'

Aug 23 2007 By Steve Still

THE birth mother of a baby tortured to death by the people who were supposed to be caring for him has made a desperate plea for answers as to why he was taken from her.

Habiba Ikram's right to look after 17-month-old Talha Ikram was stripped from her and he was handed to his father Abid Ikram and his mistress.

The tot is now dead as a result of a catalogue of horrific injuries including cigarette burns, broken ribs and a twisted limb.

He died at Central Middlesex Hospital on September 6 from complications caused by an untreated broken leg.

But 30-year-old Ms Ikram, who came to Britain from Pakistan as a teenager, says the courts and social services are to blame and her son would be alive if he had been left with her.

And she says she has been deserted by the system, left alone in her flat off King Street in Hammersmith without support or counselling.

She said: "Social services took him from me. They say I'm mad, that I have mental health problems, but if I was mad I wouldn't be able to talk to you like this. I want to know why they take my child away from me - I want to know the truth, but no one is helping me.

"They have left me by myself."

On the day he died, Talha was found to have suffered broken ribs and sustained injuries likened to what he would have sustained in a car crash.

Abid Ikram and his lover Sumaira Parveen, both of Cheltenham Place, Acton, will be sentenced next month for causing or allowing the death of the youngster and face up to 14 years in jail.

Tragically, Talha had only been returned to his father six months before his death, after 'thriving' with foster parents.

He was taken from 30-year-old Ikram when he left the boy home alone while he went drinking with 24-year-old Parveen.

The pair were known to Hammersmith and Fulham social services since 1997 mainly because of relationship breakdown issues.

An investigation into both councils and Ealing Hospital - where Talha had been taken six times with injuries - clears all three of blame but does recommend improved communication.

But Ms Ikram, who has a child being cared for by family in Pakistan, is not happy.

She said: "I had been in Ealing Mosque when they called me in to talk about my son. I thought maybe he is sick, maybe he needs me and they just said 'your son is dead now'.

"It's unacceptable that something like this could happen to my son, why he had to be put with them? He [Abid Ikram] was abusive and was always hitting my daughter and we had to call the police on him.

"Social services and the courts are responsible for what has happened, I'm not happy with what they have done, somebody has to help me.

"If he had been with me he would still be alive, I would have given him a pure life. Now I'm crying because of my son. I'm not going to leave this alone, this is killing me. I want to know the truth but no-one is telling me anything. I want to know why everybody did everything to help the father."

Hammersmith and Fulham Council

A HAMMERSMITH and Fulham Council spokesman said: "We placed Talha Ikram in foster care after becoming concerned, on a number of occasions, about Habiba Ikram's ability to bring up her child - concerns which first arose when she gave birth to her first child. It was subsequently agreed that her first child would be brought up by her extended family in Pakistan.

"While in foster care a court ordered that Talha be placed in the custody of his father. Throughout the care proceedings it was constantly stated that there were no concerns regarding the father's capacity to provide good basic care for Talha. A subsequent independent report concluded that.

"At no time could it have been predicted that he (Talha) would be seriously physically harmed by his carers.

"Both Ealing Safeguarding Children Board and Hammersmith and Fulham Safeguarding Children Board extend their deepest sympathies to all those who cared for Talha. The court takes advice from the inspection social worker employed by CAFCAS - Children's Guardian - who in this case was strongly of the view that Talha should return home.

The views of the Children's Guardian carry significant weight as they are independent of both the parents and the council and represent the interests of the child. The independent report reviewed the practice in Hammersmith & Fulham and concluded that the harm to Talha could not have been predicted.

Talha had never been injured prior to the decision to return him home made by the court - hence there was no evidence or suggestion that a serious injury would be likely.

"To assist in the decision making the court ordered a psychologist's assessment, which was positive about Talha being in the care of his father and partner.

This assessment from a psychologist carries more weight in court than the views of a social worker. In the light of that psychologist's assessment and despite the careful assessment by the social worker there was no evidence which could have been laid before the court which would have led to the court making a different decision and Talha not living with his father.

"Social workers do not make the decision about what happens to children but have to lay out the evidence out to the court. In this case the subsequent review could not find any evidence that could have been presented to the court that would led to a different outcome.

"The court sent Talha home and a supervision order was made to Ealing Council."

West London Mental Health NHS Trust

A SPOKESMAN for the West London Mental Health NHS Trust said: "Ms Ikram received support from mental health services for three to four months after her tragic bereavement.

"After this period, the view of her consultant psychiatrist was that she was mentally stable and able to be discharged.

"Ongoing support was arranged through the threshold agency for a period following her discharge."