Ellie Lawrenson: We have lost the best little girl in world

Sep 12 2007 by Jessica Shaughnessy, Liverpool Daily Post

The father of Ellie Lawrenson tells Jessica Shaughnessy the verdict was ‘a kick in the teeth’

THE father of Ellie Lawrenson last night opened his heart about the “best little girl in the world”, who was killed by an illegal dog while spending New Year’s Eve at her grandmother’s house.

Darren Lawrenson, 31, spoke out after Ellie’s grandmother, Jacqueline Simpson, 45, was cleared of her manslaughter.

It emerged that Ms Simpson is a former heroin dealer who served a 3½-year jail sentence.

Merseyside Police were last night preparing a report for the judge in the case, who demanded to know what action was taken after reports the pit bull that savaged Ellie attacked a pensioner’s dog months before her death. Fighting tears, Mr Lawrenson said: “She was just a beautiful little girl, as far as I’m concerned the best little girl in the world.

“She just meant everything to us. We lived and breathed her really.”

Mr Lawrenson, of Warrington, described the verdict as “another kick in the teeth” after storming out of the courtroom upon hearing the acquittal.

Asked how difficult the last nine months had been, he said: “Just shocking really, I just can’t put it into words what it’s done to us.

“Ellie was our life.

“It’s just all that’s happened, you know, we find it hard to go on.”

Ellie died in the early hours of New Year’s Day after he and Ellie’s mother, Lindsey Simpson, had enjoyed a night out.

They left their little girl with Jacqueline Simpson at her home in Knowles House Avenue, St Helens.

After drinking two bottles of wine and smoking 10 cannabis joints, she let in the family’s pit bull terrier, named Reuben, which savaged Ellie.

Ellie suffered 72 separate injuries. The animal was shot dead by a police officer after it killed Ellie, whose body was discovered by the emergency services in a room that was awash with blood.

Ms Simpson, 45, tried to fight off the 34-kilo dog during the attack, which she thought lasted about 20 minutes, and was injured herself.

She was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence, which she denied.

She claimed she allowed the dog into the house because it looked scared.

Mr Lawrenson, a self-employed leaflet distributor, said: “The dog had not been anywhere near Ellie since September 6 when her brother Joshua was born.

“She reassured us that there was no possibility that dog could get in the house or anything like that.”

Asked how the family get their lives back together now, he said: “I don’t know,” and added he could not have sympathy for Simpson.

Referring to Simpson’s drinking and cannabis habit, Mr Lawrenson said: “Well, we knew from day one really that she’s always smoked cannabis.

“If you can’t trust your girlfriend’s mother, then who can you trust? And we did.”

Mr Lawrenson said Ellie had not had justice and suffered “the most barbaric, horrible death imaginable”.

In May last year, Reuben attacked a dog belonging to neighbour 70-year-old William Dinsdale and he contacted St Helens council.

The council sent a letter to Ms Simpson’s home addressed to the occupier of the house, which she claims she never received.

And in November, 2006, Ms Simpson dragged the dog off her 20-year-old daughter, Kelsey, after the animal sank its teeth into her leg.

Ms Simpson told the court she argued with Kiel regularly and told him to get rid of Reuben and she said she felt responsible for Ellie’s death. Ms Simpson denied there was a family rule which banned Reuben from being in the house when Ellie was there and said she thought it only applied to Ellie’s baby brother Joshua as the little girl had loved Reuben and had grown up with him.

She told the jury: “I opened the door and let him in and it’s my fault.

“I never thought that dog would do anything to her.”

A police expert concluded the dog was a particularly robust example of a pit bull, and had unusually well-developed neck and muscles.

He said the dog had “immeasurable strength to bite and shake.”

Kiel Simpson, a convicted cannabis dealer, was jailed in May for eight weeks after pleading guilty to possessing a dangerous dog.

He was also banned from keeping dogs for five years.

The jury of seven men and five women took almost six hours to acquit Ms Simpson of manslaughter.

After the not guilty verdict was returned, Mr Justice Royce said Simpson faced a life sentence of regret.

Mr Justice Royce said the circumstances surrounding Ellie’s death gave him cause for concern. He asked the Crown Prosecution Service to find out what was done after Mr Dinsdale reported the attack on his dog to St Helens council and if the police had been contacted.

He said: “I do think it is important for that to be investigated because a report of an unlawful dog that is ignored is a very unsatisfactory state of affairs.”

A spokeswoman for Merseyside police said last night: “This has been a very difficult inquiry for all those involved, and our sympathy goes out to Ellie Lawrenson's family.

“In response to Mr Justice Royce's specific comments about a previous report involving this dog's behaviour seven months before Ellie's death, we did not ignore the call from Mr Dinsdale on May 29, 2006.

“Appropriate advice was provided in our response to his call.

“Nevertheless ,we have since carried out a thorough review to reinforce our operational procedures around dangerous and illegal dogs.

“A formal response will be given to Mr Justice Royce towards the end of this week.”

jessicashaughnessy

Hours leading up to the end of Ellie’s life

NOVEMBER, 2005

Unemployed Kiel Simpson brings home a pit bull terrier puppy. All the family fall in love with it, and the accused calls it Reuben.

MAY 29, 2006

The grandmother allows the dog out in the early morning.

Neighbour, William Dinsdale, 70, is walking his Jack Russell, Milo, when Reuben attacks him.

SEPTEMBER 6

The defendant’s daughter and Ellie’s mother, Lindsey Simpson, gives birth to her second child Joshua. She told the court that by this stage the family knew the dog should not be allowed near Ellie.

NOVEMBER 21

Reuben, by now about a year old, is nibbling the defendant’s daughter’s feet. He is told off and hit by Kiel, who leaves the house.

Ten minutes later Reuben jumps up at Kelsey Simpson, biting her top. Kelsey stumbles over and the dog bites her, and shakes her leg.

Kiel promises to get rid of the dog within the week.

New Year’s Eve

The dog is still at the house in Knowles House Avenue, St Helens. Jacqueline Simpson is baby-sitting Joshua and Ellie.

Shortly after 2am Lindsey and Kelsey return. Lindsey stays, but Kelsey goes to see her boyfriend.

The men return soon after.

Darren and Lindsey take Joshua home to Warrington, but Ellie insist on staying with Jacqueline Simpson because she will be by herself as Kiel is also leaving.

At approximately 4am Simpson, who has drunk two bottles of wine and smoked 10 cannabis joints, tells Ellie it is time for bed.

She gets up to turn off the light, after minutes earlier allowing Reuben in. Reuben pounces on Ellie who is able to shout “Nanny” once. It was her final word.

At 4.27am police arrive. At 4.29am paramedic Kai Farmer realises Ellie is dead. Her grandmother is taken to hospital.

At 4.50am two dog handlers arrive and find Reuben outside, bloodied, frenzied and baring his teeth.

At 5.41am, PC Wilfred McGinnis, shoots the dog dead.

APRIL 3

Jacqueline Simpson is charged with manslaughter and Kiel Simpson is charged with owning a banned dog.

MAY 16

He is jailed for eight weeks and banned from owning a dog for five years after admitting possessing an illegal pit bull terrier

SEPTEMBER 11

A jury clears Jacqueline Simpson of manslaughter at Liverpool Crown Court.

Family torn apart as daughter gave evidence against mother and accused her of being cavalier with the little girl’s life

ELLIE LAWRENSON’S family was torn apart by her death and the prosecution of her grandmother.

Jacqueline Simpson’s two daughters and the father of her granddaughter gave police prosecution statements and backed up their contribution in court.

Sitting in the dock, dressed in black and looking distraught, 45-year-old Simpson, who was on anti-depressants, burst into tears when daughter Lindsey, 25, gave evidence against her.

Miss Simpson, also dressed in black, stood 15 feet away from her mother, saying she was cavalier with her little girl’s life.

Sitting hunched and head bowed, Simpson wiped her eyes as her daughter said: “I don’t think mum would ever have been cavalier with her health, but this time she has been.

“I don’t think anything was done on purpose – it just happened.”

This between a mother and daughter who used to see each other every day to share the demands of looking after two little children.

Lindsey Simpson and her sister Kelsey both told the court their mother had breached a well-established family rule that Reuben stayed away from Ellie.

During a break in her evidence, the weight of appearing against her mother was too much for Miss Simpson and she crumpled, wailing and crying, into a friend’s arms in the court corridor.

Her partner and Ellie’s father, Darren Lawrenson, 31, was more direct.

The self-employed leaflet distributor called Simpson “stupid” and said he wanted people to know she was to blame for Ellie’s death.

John McDermott, QC, Simpson’s barrister, defended her in his closing speech, putting forward the idea that her family had plotted against her to distance themselves from Ellie’s death.

The grandmother hit back herself, claiming her daughter, Kelsey, used to goad Reuben and Kyle would mistreat him.

Her defence – that there was no rule barring Ellie from Reuben – implied the trio were lying to implicate their mother.