Murder of Daniel Pełka

Daniel Pełka was born in Coventry on 15 July 2007 to Eryk Pełka and Magdalena Łuczak, who had migrated from Poland at the end of 2005. His parents separated permanently in 2008, and in 2010 Łuczak's new partner, Mariusz Krężołek, moved into the household. Social services had been visiting the family since 2008 due to domestic violence perpetrated by Krężołek against Łuczak, though Daniel was never interviewed directly, as Łuczak maintained she could protect her children.

Beginning in January 2011, a series of warning signs emerged. Daniel was taken to A&E with a broken arm and bruising, though a doctor suggested the fracture might have been accidental. Through late 2011 and early 2012, teachers at Little Heath Primary School repeatedly raised concerns about Daniel's extreme hunger, including stealing food from classmates, eating from a classroom "fruit corner," scavenging from rubbish bins, and eating half of a teacher's birthday cake meant for the whole class. Staff also observed fingerprint bruising on his neck, facial bruises, and visible weight loss. Łuczak and Krężołek told professionals, including a doctor who examined Daniel on 10 February 2012, that he had an eating disorder. By late February 2012, Daniel appeared "pasty" with "sunken eyes" and was withdrawn from other children.

On 1 March 2012, Daniel was beaten for wetting himself. The next morning, Łuczak conducted internet searches related to comas and salt poisoning, while Krężołek discouraged calling for an ambulance. On the morning of 3 March 2012, Łuczak called emergency services reporting her son was not breathing; Daniel was pronounced dead in hospital. A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a head injury and found that he was severely underweight after prolonged malnutrition.

At trial, both defendants denied murder but admitted child cruelty. Evidence included testimony from one of Daniel's siblings and text messages in which Łuczak acknowledged serious abuse, alongside evidence of deliberate starvation and salt poisoning. On 31 July 2013, both Łuczak and Krężołek were found guilty of murder, and on 2 August 2013 each was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. The trial judge described the abuse as "truly horrific" and the starvation as "unprecedented in this country," noting a deliberate deception of professionals to conceal the abuse.

Daniel's death generated significant public outrage over the missed opportunities for intervention, prompting donations exceeding £10,000 to the NSPCC and a petition calling for mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse, which the UK government ultimately declined to implement. Both perpetrators later died in custody: Łuczak by suicide at HM Prison Foston Hall in July 2015, and Krężołek from a heart attack at HM Prison Full Sutton in January 2016.