Wigan dad of murder victim, aged just 5, calls for law change

Tyler Harrison was just five when he was brutally attacked by Elvis Lee, who was meant to be caring for the child at their home in Peterborough, back in 2011.

Lee was given a life sentence the following year, while Tyler’s mum Stephanie Whelan was jailed for four years after being found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Tyler’s dad Shaun Harrison, who lives in Worsley Hall, is angry that he wasn’t entitled to see the findings of a social services investigation into Tyler’s care months before his death.

“Tyler’s Law”, the name given to the proposed amendment, would see caseworkers obliged to contact both biological parents when any concerns are raised about their child’s welfare.

Mr Harrison has brought the matter to the attention of Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, who has agreed to discuss possible ways to make the changes in a private meeting in March.

He said: “Tyler had the rest of his life to live, and would have been a teenager this year, so I want to honour him by making sure the same thing doesn’t happen to someone else’s child.”

Doctors initially raised concerns after Whelan took Tyler to hospital with a broken leg in 2010, and discovered bruises on his body that were consistent with abuse.

Mr Harrison was told about the incident by Whelan, but said he was not made aware of any intervention by authorities.

A Serious Case Review into Tyler’s death found a number of failings in the run-up to his death, although no blame was apportioned to anyone at Peterborough Council.

The review said core assessments looking at the case should have been carried out by a social worker after Tyler was taken to hospital for the leg fracture.

Mr Harrison added: “I didn’t even know social services had been involved, so I had no reason to believe there was anything seriously wrong.

“Even if a relationship doesn’t allow for one parent to see their son or daughter often, they can still be notified when authorities suspect their life is at risk.

“For me it was too late, and I still haven’t come to terms with what happened to my boy, but after grieving for so long I think it is time for me to do something about it.”