Aspie abused by pedo suicide - cries for help ingnored

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A 15-year-old boy with Asperger's who suffered months of abuse at the hands of his paedophile carer hung himself at his care home after his 'cries for help' were ignored by staff.

Aaron Leafe, who had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Asperger's Syndrome, killed himself just six weeks after plucking up the courage to report his former carer Anwar Ismail.

The 15 year-old was discovered hanging by staff at the Ivy Cottage Children's Home in Tupton, Derbyshire in 2010.

He had left a note saying he could not live with what had happened to him.

Before his death the troubled teen had recorded a harrowing 93-minute police interview cataloguing his ordeal, and his testimony from beyond the grave helped jail Ismail for 18 years.

Now more than seven years after his death, his family have finally had their questions about his care answered.

At the conclusion of his inquest, Derbyshire's Assistant Coroner James Newman said opportunities to prevent the tragedy were 'missed' because of communication breakdowns between care staff and social workers.

They also missed crucial meetings and relied too heavily on the youngster to tell them what was wrong.

But while he was satisfied the teenager had hung himself, he could not be sure Aaron's intent was to kill himself.

Mr Newman added: 'Aaron died as the tragic result of a cry for help, as he had done in the past, but he was not discovered before the effects of his actions resulted in his death.'

Ismail (pictured), who was 31 at the time, was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, three of child abduction, rape and sexual activity with a child, between 2009 and 2010 +5
Ismail (pictured), who was 31 at the time, was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, three of child abduction, rape and sexual activity with a child, between 2009 and 2010

Chesterfield Coroners Court heard from a string of professionals who were charged with looking after Aaron after he was taken into care just before his twelfth birthday.

Aaron, who it's believed suffered abuse as a young child, became increasingly difficult to control and started two fires before he was taken from his mother Deborah Krause's home in Nottingham and put in the care of the city's social services.

He was eventually sent to the Woodland Retreat in Leicester in 2007 where Ismail became his key care worker. Within days the paedophile began grooming the new resident, but the abuse was not uncovered.

In July 2009 after concerns were finally raised about Ismail's behaviour the teen was sent to live to Duncanwood Lodge, near Worksop, Notts, but his abuse continued.

Staff at that home noted his behaviour changed and he was frequently absconding and self-harming, but they decided not to quiz the youngster.

People dealing with Aaron missed case meetings and communication between the various agencies was infrequent.

Eventually he found the courage to tell a member of staff about Ismail, but he did not live to see him being brought to justice.

In 2013 a jury at Leicester Crown Court was played a tape of Aaron's police interview in which the teenager revealed he was targeted from age 12.

Ismail, who was 31 at the time, was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, three of child abduction, rape and sexual activity with a child, between 2009 and 2010.

The inquest heard after his move to Duncanwood Lodge Aaron settled, but 10 months later he was allegedly involved in an assault on another boy.

He was forced to take part after being threatened by the ringleader.

Following the incident Aaron appeared in a youth court and was bailed to live at Ivy Cottage Children's Home in Tupton, Derbys, in May 2010.

Two days before his death he was due to return to court and the inquest heard he became 'fixated' on going to jail.

He had told one therapist: 'I would rather kill myself than go to prison.'

Staff tried to ease his anxieties, but on one occasion he had tried to hang himself and on July 11 a suicide note was found.

The manager of the home Kirsty Taylor said she wrote the details of it in his case notes and advised he should be checked on every half hour during the night, but she admitted they were short staffed on the evening Aaron died.

The following day he watched an England football match with the two other residents, but he was said to be 'distracted'.

He made several phone calls and then sat alone writing rap lyrics.

The inquest heard statements from the other residents who claimed he showed the lyrics to them and agency carer Gurbinder Sandhu.

They claimed he had written about hanging himself while wearing the suit and tie that had been bought for his court date. Mr Sandhu told the inquest he did not recall any such details.

He said: 'Despite concerns being raised regarding an improper relationship, contact continued even after Aaron was moved across care settings and county boundaries.

'Opportunities to identify or challenge the abuse were missed due a breakdown in interagency communications, a lack of appropriate agencies attending appropriately convened meetings and an over-reliance upon disclosures from Aaron.

'Aaron's absconding and self-injury were considered to be characteristics of Aaron, rather than an indication of underlying concerns.'

The coroner said in the weeks before Aaron's death there were further 'significant life events' with him being moved from his regular care home and facing criminal charges.

'On the evening on 12 June 2010 whilst the home was understaffed, Aaron signposted actions that he intended to take, and was subsequently found suspended by a ligature,' added Mr Newman.