In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that a High Court judge rejected a legal bid by Paul Worthington to remove details of his daughter’s sexual abuse from the official record of her death. Worthington—then 50, a former supermarket worker from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria—had launched a judicial review claiming the coroner “overstepped the mark” during the inquest into 13-month-old Poppi Worthington. It was reported that Mrs Justice Farbey ruled the coroner’s approach “cannot be faulted” and ordered Worthington to pay court costs.
The investigation established that Poppi died in December 2012 after being found with “significant” bleeding and horrific internal injuries at the family home. Cumbria Police reported that although the tot’s DNA was found on her father’s genitals, a series of “bungling” investigative failures—including the loss of a blood-soaked nappy and the failure to preserve the bed sheets—prevented a criminal prosecution. The prosecution reported that during the inquest, Worthington refused to answer 252 questions about his daughter’s death to avoid self-incrimination.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Poppi was penetrated in her father’s double bed shortly before she suffocated in an “unsafe sleeping environment.” David Roberts, Senior Coroner for Cumbria, ruled in January 2018 that the 13-month-old had been sexually assaulted, a finding that mirrored two previous High Court family judgments from 2014 and 2016. The investigation established that on the night of the death, Worthington had been watching “X-rated” pornography on a laptop that subsequently went missing after being handed to a neighbour.
Judge-led proceedings at the High Court in Manchester concluded that there was no basis to change the official record. For the events in Barrow-in-Furness, the Crown Prosecution Service maintained that there was “insufficient evidence” for a criminal trial, despite the findings of the coroner and three separate High Court judges. The judge noted that the “sickening catalogue of abuse” included horrific internal injuries most likely caused by an “erect penis or object,” a broken leg, and bruises to the throat.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in England, the status of the case involving Paul Worthington as of April 3, 2026, was as follows:
- Legal Status: NOT PROSECUTED (CPS cited insufficient forensic evidence).
- Judicial Findings: Fact-finding judgments by three High Court judges and one Senior Coroner established he sexually assaulted his daughter.
- Custodial Status: NOT IN CUSTODY; reportedly living under police protection.
- Sex Offenders Register: Not active (No criminal conviction was secured).
- Judicial Oversight: Subject of High Court Family Division rulings and a Senior Coroner’s Inquest.
- Inquest Verdict: Poppi Worthington died from asphyxiation following a sexual assault.
- Origin: Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Worthington is managed as a person of significant concern by Cumbria Police and national authorities. Due to the nature of the conduct, which three High Court judges ruled involved the sexual abuse of his 13-month-old daughter, his anonymity and safety are managed via a state-funded protection programme. Authorities state that the failures by Cumbria Police to collect vital evidence within the first 24 hours—such as the nappy and pyjama bottoms—permanently compromised the ability to bring a criminal rape or manslaughter charge to a jury.
Despite the lack of a criminal conviction, Worthington’s name is synonymous with one of the most high-profile failures in UK child protection history. Authorities state that he remains shielded from the public eye while denying any wrongdoing. Any change in his circumstances or any future contact with children would be subject to the highest levels of multi-agency scrutiny, as the “complete nightmare” for Poppi’s mother continues without a formal criminal conviction for the “horrific” abuse reported by the High Court.
QUESTION – Given that a High Court judge and a Senior Coroner both “reported” that a sexual assault took place, do you believe that the “Standard of Proof” in child death cases should be lowered from “beyond reasonable doubt” to the “balance of probabilities” to allow for criminal prosecutions when police fail to preserve evidence?
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