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Maria Colwell (26 March 1965 – 6 January 1973) was an English child who was killed by her stepfather in January 1973.〔''The Tragedy of Maria Colwell'' Scott,P.D: British Journal of J Criminology.1975; 15: 88-90〕 The case was widely reported at the time and resulted in a public enquiry: ''Committee of Inquiry into the Care and Supervision Provided in Relation to Maria Colwell (1974). Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Care and Supervision provided by local authorities and other agencies in Relation to Maria Colwell and the co-ordination between them.'' (Chairman: T.G. Field-Fisher) 40 years after her death the case of Maria Colwell has remained in collective memory and has often been referred to when similar cases have come to light, such as the death of Victoria Climbié in 2000, Peter Connelly in 2007 and Daniel Pelka in 2012. Maria was one of six siblings and is survived by her three brothers and two sisters, as well as her foster parents Bob and Doris Cooper, with whom she spent six years of her life. ==Life and death== Maria was born on 26 March 1965. When she was few months old her father Raymond Colwell died and as a result Maria and her siblings were all placed in foster care. At three months old she was placed with her aunt and uncle, Doris and Bob Cooper. There she was said to be very happy and well looked after. 〔''The Times'', Tuesday, 23 October 1973; pg. 3; Issue 58920; col A Foster-parents not told of decision to move girl〕 Her situation changed drastically〔(Wave Trust A tale of 10 children )〕 when on 22 October 1971 she returned to live with her biological mother Pauline Kepple and her partner William Kepple 〔The Times, Wednesday, 17 October 1973; pg. 2; Issue 58915; col F ''Criticism of girl's return to her mother''〕 on the Whitehawk council estate in Brighton, England. William Kepple had children of his own with Pauline, and the couple favoured those children over Maria without compunction;〔The Times, Thursday, 31 May 1973; pg. 2; Issue 58796; col F ''Stepfather's preferential treatment''〕 for example, Kepple bought his biological children ice cream and required Maria to watch as they ate it, having refused to buy any for her. Many neighbours and teachers communicated concerns to various agencies.〔The Times, Wednesday, 10 October 1973; pg. 4; Issue 58909; col A ''Thirty complaints of ill-treatment were made before Maria died-QC''〕 Nevertheless, even though she appeared "almost a walking skeleton", Maria was allowed to remain with the Kepples and her step-siblings.〔The Times, Thursday, 11 October 1973; pg. 3; Issue 58910; col A ''Girl was like a living skeleton, neighbour tells inquiry''〕 On the night of 6 January 1973, Kepple arrived home at 11.30pm to find Maria still awake and watching television. Her mother, fearing her drunk and violent husband, had kept Maria up. Maria refused to acknowledge him upon his return home and he responded violently. He physically assaulted her, leaving her with severe injuries both internal and external; then he went to bed. The following morning he wheeled Maria in a pram to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with severe internal injuries including brain damage; she died shortly after arrival. Maria had an empty stomach when she died. Both her eyes were blackened and she had a fractured rib. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Death of Maria Colwell」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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