Victoria Climbie was a French-speaking child from Cote d’Ivoire who was tortured to death by that great-aunt, Marie Therese Kouao, and the woman’s boyfriend Carl Manning.
Victoria would be forced to sleep bound in a black bin-liner filled with her own excrement in an unheated bathroom.
The duo burned her with cigarettes and scalded her with hot water, starved her, tied her up for periods longer than 24 hours, and hit her with bike chains, hammers, wires, shoes, belt buckles, coat hangers, wooden spoons, and their bare hands. Whenever she was fed, she would be forced to eat like a dog. On some occasions, the couple would throw food at her and make her catch it in her mouth.
Victoria Climbie died on February 25, 2000, at age 8 in London, England. Her death led to a public inquiry and produced major changes in child protection policies in the United Kingdom.
Why Did Victoria Climbie Come to the UK?
Victoria Climbie left Abobo in the Ivory Coast to live with her aunt, Marie-Therese Kouao initially in Paris. Kouao then takes the girl to London after she is pursued by French authorities over benefit payments.
What Language Did Victoria Climbie Speak?
Victoria Climbie spoke in French.