Overview
- Mr Justice Peel ruled the girl’s gonorrhoea resulted from direct sexual contact and not fomite transmission after expert testimonies.
- Both the mother and uncle tested positive in mid-2023 and were deemed realistically possible perpetrators, but the judge could not determine which one transmitted the infection.
- The local authority’s care proceedings led to court orders placing the siblings with their grandmother under strict residency restrictions.
- The children’s father was excluded from responsibility because he was serving a custodial sentence when the infection occurred.
- The case unfolded against chronic parental substance misuse, domestic violence and criminal convictions and remains subject to strict reporting restrictions to protect the child’s identity.