Social Services Under Scrutiny After Failures to Protect Killer Teen

West Sussex, 8 July 2025 – Alarming failings within social services have emerged during an inquest at Brighton & Hove Coroner’s Court, following the death of a man allegedly killed by a teenage girl known as Child A. Evidence presented revealed a series of missed opportunities and poor coordination between agencies tasked with safeguarding the child and the wider public.

Child A, who had a history of violent behaviour at school and towards her mother, had been flagged as posing a “high risk of significant harm.” Referrals to West Sussex County Council’s social services had repeatedly warned she could “act aggressively to others,” yet key concerns appear to have gone unaddressed.

Mr Aquinuce Hlomuka, a former council worker, told the court he was deeply concerned about Child A’s exposure to danger, particularly after she was reportedly followed into a bathroom by two men while staying in temporary accommodation. “I was worried she would be coming into contact with dangerous males… it was very, very worrying,” he said, adding bluntly, “She shouldn’t have been in that situation.”

The inquest also heard troubling details about the days leading up to the death of Mr Hendricks. Child A had been missing for four days before Sussex Police located her with a person claiming to be her cousin, despite her having no known family in the area. Concerns were immediately raised by a social worker, urging a strategy meeting. Police reportedly replied with urgency: “This needs to be done ASAP if she has been missing for four days!”

Despite the serious nature of the case, no one from social services attended the urgent meeting. Mr Hlomuka later admitted he missed the meeting because he had left his laptop at home and could not access emails. Further confusion was highlighted when Ifeanyi Dan-Jumbo, manager of the family safeguarding service, said she was not copied into communications and described the council’s IT system as “not very straightforward.”

The emerging picture suggests not just individual oversights but systemic issues within local authority safeguarding processes, raising serious questions about accountability and the capacity of social services to intervene in high-risk cases.

With the inquest still ongoing, there will likely be further scrutiny of how such warning signs were missed and whether the tragedy could have been prevented with more competent and coordinated action.

The court is expected to continue hearing evidence in the coming days.

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