Murdered Didcot teenager Jayden Parkinson knew her boyfriend would kill her one day, sister tells serious case review

The review found there were "absolute failings" in the way the Didcot teenager dealt with by services intended to protect her.

A serious case review has revealed a number of agencies including Oxfordshire County Council's Children's Social Care failed to realise the seriousness of the risk posed by her boyfriend Ben Blakeley - who murdered her in December 2013.

Jayden's sister Sharday George told the review that nothing could have stopped Blakeley, referred to in the report as Adult L, from killing the 17-year-old.

She said: "I don’t think anything would have helped as she loved him and nothing would have changed her mind.

"She told my husband that she knew one day Adult L would kill her

"There was nothing that could have been done apart from keeping her hostage.”

The review also revealed that information that Blakeley had been "violent and highly controlling" towards three previous girlfriends - including threat to stab his 16-year-old girlfriend in 2008 - was not passed on to all services.

It also found Jayden was viewed as a difficult teenager and not recognised as a child in need of safeguarding.

Jayden's Grandfather Eric Shrewsbury said the report gave the family closure but that they were still serving their own life sentence.

He said: "I'm satisfied it has brought to light the many failings. 

"I don't think it could have been any harder on the organisations but it's a shame that one of the social workers largely at fault no longer works for the council.

"It does give us closure of sorts in terms of the various agencies involved but we have been given a life sentence of being without Jayden - while Blakeley will be out in 20 years."

Independent chairwoman of the Oxfordshire Children Safeguarding Board Maggie Blyth, said: "This was a particularly tragic case, linked to the domestic abuse, but also underlying neglect, of a teenage girl and her eventual death at her abuser's hands.

She added: "The review highlights two key findings - the continuing need for services to respond effectively to older children in need of protection; and the importance of understanding the impact of domestic abuse within adolescent relationships.

The report concluded, however, that whatever actions agencies had taken, there could no guarantee Jayden's murder would have been prevented.

Thames Valley Police were also criticised in the report but an Independent Police Complaints Commission has already been completed which saw two officers given final written warnings and a third receiving a written warning.

Blakeley was found guilty of murder at Oxford Crown Court in July 2014 and sentenced to life in prison.

The court heard that Jayden, who was found in the grave of Blakeley’s uncle in the cemetery next to All Saints’ Church in Didcot, may have been pregnant.

• The assessment and response to Jayden's needs was not based on an understanding of the level of difficulties she faced and proper consideration was not given to her long term support.
• Professionals did not always fully understand the serious nature of the risks to Jayden.
• Too often Jayden was viewed as difficult young person rather than a child in need of protection.
• Information about the risks posed by Blakeley was known across agencies but there was no system to support a multi-agency plan.
• Response to the last occasion Jayden went missing was fundamentally flawed - Thames Valley Police failed to recognise the seriousness of Blakeley's threat to Jayden.
• Processes to support 16 to 18-year-olds victims of domestic abuse lacked clarity.
• Individual workers, particularly from Didcot Girls' School and the CSC Leaving Care Team worked extremely hard to help support Jayden and Blakeley but their efforts were not fully support by an adequate, planned multi-agency approach.