Blackpool hospital missed abuse warning signs before two child deaths

Blackpool Victoria Hospital saw Damion Russell on 29 June 2023, one day before Preston Davey’s final hospital visit, but medics did not ask Damion’s father about an old bruise on the two-year-old’s head. That missed chance has sharpened scrutiny of how safeguarding concerns were handled at the hospital, after two children linked to the same institution later died in separate abuse cases.

Damion, who had been placed with his father Daniel Hardcastle in May 2023, was later killed by a traumatic head injury. Court and police reporting says he also suffered a human bite mark, a rib fracture, damage to his upper lip and extensive bruising. Hardcastle, 31, was convicted of murdering his son and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years. The case exposed a child who had been seen in hospital with clear signs of harm, yet the warning signs were not escalated.

Preston Davey’s case has intensified that pressure. Preston was 13 months old when he died in July 2023 after months of abuse by his adoptive father, Jamie Varley, who received a whole-life order for murder. Lancashire Police said Preston had been seen at Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times before his death, and that bruises were noted on his head when he was brought back on 30 June 2023 because of a rash. Enquiries later showed the video showing those bruises had been recorded 12 days earlier.

The parallel deaths have raised questions about whether Preston’s safeguarding review should also examine Damion’s case. Blackpool South MP Chris Webb called the missed opportunities “deeply concerning”. The hospital has since received support around escalating safeguarding concerns, but the overlap between the two cases has left investigators facing a broader question: how many signals were visible, and how many were missed, before either child was killed.