Nottinghamshire Police worker jailed six years for neglect of boy, 9, who died

Catherine Walker, 47, was jailed at Nottingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to child cruelty. The nine-year-old was found unresponsive in Warsop in December 2024.

Nottinghamshire Police worker sentenced over death of nine-year-old in her care

A woman employed by Nottinghamshire Police has been jailed for six years following the death of a nine-year-old boy who was in her care, bbc.co.uk reports.

Catherine Walker, 47, of Appleton Street in Warsop, Nottinghamshire, was the boy's legal guardian. He was found unresponsive in his bedroom on 16 December 2024 and died in hospital despite the efforts of paramedics and bystanders at the scene.

Walker was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to two counts of assaulting, ill-treating, neglecting or abandoning a child to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.

Nottinghamshire Police said its investigation uncovered "clear mistreatment of the boy over a prolonged period of time". The force has not disclosed what role Walker held within the organisation.

Detectives raised serious concerns about the state of the boy's bedroom. According to police, the room "lacked any of the comforts seen elsewhere in the house": there were no blinds or curtains, a bathroom-style lock was fitted to the outside of the door, and the room contained very little furniture with no radiator or door handle. An electric socket was described as "hanging dangerously off the wall".

Walker told officers the room was being renovated. Police said further investigation "revealed this to be untrue", and that witness evidence corroborated their findings of sustained mistreatment.

The force said Walker's former husband had been the boy's primary carer and bore the main responsibility for his treatment. He died shortly after the boy's death, police added.

Detective Chief Inspector Gail Routledge said the case was "one of the most upsetting I can remember."

"This boy was very clearly mistreated for a significant period of time and was living in conditions that no child should have to endure," Routledge said. "It was always our case that this mistreatment was a deliberate choice by the defendant, rather than the result of neglectful parenting. I am pleased she has now been held to account for her role in his death."

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)