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Tragedy dad pleads: 'How did my son die?'
The dad of tragic toddler Kyle Fisher today vowed not to rest until he finds the truth about how his son died.
Jon Taylor made the pledge after a top cop defended his force's handling of the murder inquiry.
Babysitter Suzanne Holdsworth was cleared of killing two-year-old Kyle, from Houghton, after being originally jailed for life after she was accused of repeatedly banging his head against a wooden banister.
An apology was sought from Cleveland Police, which handled the inquiry into the tragedy in Hartlepool in 2004, but in a highly unusual move, Chief Constable Sean Price today refused to give one.
He said: "I firmly believe that when you make a mistake you should apologise. However, to issue an apology when officers have carried out their job diligently and professionally is inappropriate."
The force has refused to reopen the case, despite pleas from Kyle's dad, who said he had never been 100 per cent sure that Ms Holdsworth was guilty, and is still desperately waiting to find "the truth" four years on.
However, Mr Taylor – who refers to his son as Kyle Taylor, as per his birth certificate – said he did not blame the police, but believes the court case was "rushed" and not handled properly.
He was also surprised not to have been called as a witness himself.
The 27-year-old DJ, from Houghton, added: "This has gone on too long.
"I won't be happy until I find out how Kyle died."
Ms Holdsworth's conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal last May, and a re-trial was ordered after complex medical evidence relating to Kyle's brain was uncovered.
The mother-of-two, now living in Leeds, walked free from court after being unanimously cleared by a jury just before Christmas.
During the original trial it emerged that she had initially lied to police, but during the second hearing told a jury how she had tried to cover up for Kyle's then-teenage mother Clare Fisher to stop social services getting involved.
The jury heard that at the time the two women concocted a story about events in the days before Kyle collapsed, he was still unconscious in hospital.
Crucial to the initial conviction was bruising and marking to Kyle's head which was said to match the distinctive pattern of the banister at Ms Holdsworth's home.
At re-trial it emerged the markings on the youngster's skull did not match those of the gaps in the banister.
In the wake of the controversial re-trial BBC's Newsnight programme aired its own investigation but Cleveland Police stood firm in the face of criticism.
Ms Holdsworth's long-term partner Lee Spencer, who battled to clear her name, today said: "It's hardly surprising there won't be an apology, we never expected to get one.
"But it's tragic and sad that this police stance means that Kyle's untimely death will never be investigated thoroughly and many, many questions will never be answered."
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Friday 10 February 2012
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