The grieving grandad of Star Hobson killed himself on the birthday of her mum, who was responsible for the toddler’s death.

Before taking his life, Andrew Smith, 50, sent a card to his daughter Frankie Smith’s prison cell, which read: ‘You look after yourself and I’ll look after the baby.’

Yesterday, Star’s mum was cleared of murder but convicted of causing or allowing her child’s death at their home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, on September 22 last year.

Her partner Savannah Brockhill, 28, was found guilty of murder, and the pair are both due for sentencing later today.

For months they subjected Star to a campaign of physical and psychological abuse before the girl suffered ‘utterly catastrophic’ injuries that led to her death.

Now, it has been revealed that Mr Smith took an overdose of pills in June this year as he struggled to come to terms with what his daughter had done.

His dad, Frank, 68, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, was among five people who contacted social services with concerns over Star’s bruises and how she was being treated.

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He told The Sun: ‘He had a handprint on his window from the baby and never washed it off. He couldn’t handle it and so he did it on Frankie’s birthday.

‘It’s been devastating. When they found him, Star’s coat was at the side of him. My son did what he did and had 50 years of life, that baby had only a few months.’

Questions remain over how Smith and Brokchill so easily convinced social services that bruises and marks on the girl’s body were accidental.

They managed to hoodwink authorities by claiming complaints had been made maliciously by people who didn’t approve of their same-sex relationship, or Brockhill’s Romany Gypsy background.

Frank added: ‘It’s hard to believe and I can’t take it in. It’s broken me. You put your trust in the authorities to do something and they let you down.’

He said Smith had vowed to take her own life, in a prison letter sent to Andrew before his death.

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Following Star’s murder, a safeguarding practice review has been launched to try and establish what went wrong.

Yesterday Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to ensure ‘lessons are learned’ over the toddler’s death.

He said: ‘What happened to Star Hobson is shocking and heartbreaking. We must protect children from these barbaric crimes and ensure lessons are learned.’

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said a review is being carried out into agencies’ contact with the family.

She added: ‘Star was let down and we all want to know if anything could have been done differently.’

The Department for Education said Star’s death was ‘deeply disturbing’ and that it would ‘not hesitate’ to remove children’s services control from Bradford Council ‘if necessary’.

It comes after the recent harrowing case of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, who was tortured, poisoned and murdered by his step-mum Emma Tustin.

An NSPCC spokeswoman said: ‘Star Hobson’s young life was cut brutally short and it is appalling that she was harmed by the very people who should have been keeping her safe.

‘Star was subjected to horrific cruelty and violence over several months that no child should ever have to experience.

‘This awful case comes as many of us are still upset and horrified over what happened to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.

‘We must do all we can to prevent cruelty and abuse to children. As always, we urge anyone who has concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child to contact the local authorities, the police or the NSPCC helpline.’

Cases of children suffering horrific abuse and dying at the hands of their parents and guardians and will make many of us ask ourselves: ‘Could I have spotted the warning signs?’

We spoke to the NSPCC on what to look out for if you suspect a child is being abused and steps you should take.

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