Police who were repeatedly called to a house where the killers of a nine-year-old boy brutally beat him before he died were not trained well enough, a watchdog has found.
Alfie Steele, of Droitwich, Worcestershire, was murdered in February 2021 after months of 'indescribable' cruelty in which he suffered 50 injuries all over his body and his head was held underwater in a bath.
The boy's mother, Carla Scott, was jailed for 27 years for manslaughter at Coventry Crown Court in June 2023 and her partner, Dirk Howell, is serving at least 32 years for his murder.
A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after the court case finished.
The watchdog looked at 20 interactions between West Mercia Police and Alfie, his mother and Howell between March 2018 and February 2021 and found there was 'no indication of misconduct' by any individual officer.
