Frankie Smith, the mother convicted of allowing the death of her 16-month-old daughter Star Hobson, has been released from prison on licence after serving the custodial portion of her 12-year sentence.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that Smith has been discharged into the community under probation supervision, residing in Northallerton under a changed name. Officials verified that her release was executed under standard statutory determinate sentencing rules upon reaching the 50 per cent threshold of her sentence, rather than through government early release mechanisms.
Star Hobson died on 22 September 2020 after sustaining catastrophic abdominal trauma inside a flat in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Following a high-profile trial at Bradford Crown Court, Smith’s partner, Savannah Brockhill, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. Smith was acquitted of murder and manslaughter but found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.
Medical and forensic evidence detailed the extreme violence that ended the toddler’s life. Post-mortem examinations established that Brockhill inflicted a severe kick or punch with force equivalent to a road traffic collision. The impact caused more than 50 per cent of Star’s total blood volume to haemorrhage into her abdominal cavity, alongside traumatic rupture and lacerations to internal organs including the liver, pancreas, and kidneys.
Pathologists identified a catalogue of historic injuries demonstrating sustained, systemic physical abuse over preceding months. These included:
- Two distinct brain injuries
- Multiple rib fractures
- A fracture and subsequent re-fracture to the tibia
- A fracture to the back of the skull
Court proceedings exposed a pattern of cruelty and neglect beyond the physical assaults. The trial heard that on 27 June 2020, both women used mobile devices to film Star falling off a flimsy chair and striking her head while visibly exhausted, footage which Brockhill subsequently set to music and shared with associates. Additional video captured Star collapsing face-first into a bowl of food after being kept awake.
Sentencing Smith, Mrs Justice Lambert described her as a “neglectful and callous parent” who repeatedly prioritised her relationship with Brockhill over her daughter’s survival. The judge highlighted that Smith actively misled police officers in the aftermath of the assault to shield Brockhill, while rejecting defence assertions that Smith had been unable to seek assistance, noting that family members were readily available and eager to intervene.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 and Section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, any surviving child witnesses, juvenile complainants, or protected minors linked to connected proceedings are entitled to automatic, lifelong statutory anonymity. Publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating any details, names, addresses, or images capable of identifying protected minors is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Smith was convicted of:
Causing or allowing the death of a child
Smith was initially sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in December 2021. Following an intervention by the Attorney General’s Office, the Court of Appeal ruled in March 2022 that the original sentence was unduly lenient, increasing Smith’s custodial term to 12 years.
Having reached the six-year mark of that determinate term, Smith became legally eligible for conditional release. She remains subject to licence conditions, monitoring requirements, and supervision by the Probation Service until the full 12-year term expires, with non-compliance carrying the immediate sanction of executive recall to prison custody.
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