Laptop of Poppi Worthington's father that could 'solve mystery' of little girl's death discovered by police

Poppi Worthington father's laptop that could help "solve the mystery" of the 13-month-old's death has been discovered by police.

The breakthrough comes almost six years after the girl suffocated on her father Paul Worthington's double bed after, a coroner ruled, she had been sexually assaulted by him. 

Mr Worthington is understood to have passed the laptop to neighbour Wayne Roebuck in Barrow-in-Furness after his daughter's death. 

Police never seized the laptop in December 2012 despite Poppi's father admitting he watched "X-rated adult" pornography on it. 

Mr Roebuck, 39, was questioned by police in March. He claimed he passed the computer to another man who moved to Birmingham, according to the Sunday Times. 

Nazir Afzal, who decided not to charge Mr Worthington in 2015 as head of the CPS for the North West, told the paper the laptop “could solve the mystery of what happened” and that "without examining it, we'll never know".

It is now being forensically analysed by experts to determine what data was on the hard drive before it was sold. 

Cumbria Police's inability to confiscate the laptop was one of a series of failures by Cumbria Police who lost vital evidence during their investigation which meant no one has been prosecuted over Poppi's sexual abuse and death.

The Crown Prosecution Service ruled in March that despite courts three times having found that Mr Worthington probably sexually abused his daughter before her sudden death, he would not face charges due to a lack of evidence. 

Mr Worthington denies any wrongdoing and is now living in hiding with the help of police protection.

Prosecutors refused three times to put him on trial as police blunders meant there was "insufficient evidence" to charge him. 

Speaking after a coroner found the toddler's father sexually assaulted her before she died in January, Poppi's mother, who cannot be named, said that the "past five years have been a complete nightmare" and she was "relieved that despite there being some gaps, she is now closer to the truth, even though that truth is devastating".

Recording a narrative verdict with the case of death as asphyxia caused by "unsafe sleeping conditions", David Roberts said that at some time after 2.30am, Poppi was taken from her cot into the double bed, where she was assaulted. 

He said the verdict of unlawful killing was not available to him, as he would need to be satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt that she had died as a result of murder or manslaughter, and he had concluded the abuse did not kill her.

Poppi was failed by authorities almost from the moment police were informed of her death. Officers did not secure the scene and allowed vital evidence, including her nappy, to be thrown away. Despite a pathologist raising concerns that she had been sexually assaulted, a criminal investigation was not opened for eight months, meaning that no witnesses were formally interviewed.

Poppi was buried after her body was released by the coroner in February 2013, despite the full inquest not having concluded, meaning her cause of death was never formally established.