Anne Whyte KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman spoke at the Child Death Conference which took place across 14 and 15 July 2025.

The annual conference, endorsed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Homicide Working Group (HWG) Child Death Sub Group and, chaired by DCS Fiona Bitters, was a key event for professionals involved in the investigation and prosecution of child death cases.

Anne delivered a joint session with Karen Tonge (CPS Specialist Case Prosecutor), focused on Section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004: Causing or Allowing the Death of a Child. This offence continues to present challenges for legal practitioners and prosecutors across the country, and the session provided an update on recent legal developments and case law in this evolving area, particularly following the cases of R v ATT [2024] EWCA Crim 460  and R v Sheikh & Ors [2025] EWCA Crim 38.

The two-day event programme included contributions from senior police officer, forensic experts, trauma specialists and members of the legal profession. The conference brought together legal, operational and medical professionals to support knowledge-sharing, improve investigative practice and explore the multi-agency approach required in the most sensitive and complex cases involving child deaths.