Damning report reveals social workers MISSED opportunities to help boy, 2, who was brutally killed by his mother's violent boyfriend Rio Smedley was brutally murdered by his mother's partner Daniel Rigby Rigby jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years in November 2012 Rio's mother Kirsty Smedley was jailed for four years for allowing death Serious case review found social workers 'missed opportunities' to help The report ultimately found Rio's death was not 'predictable or preventable' Rio Smedley was brutally murdered in April 2012 by his mother's partner Daniel Rigby Social workers 'missed opportunities' to help a two-year-old boy who was beaten to death by his mother's partner, a serious case review has found. Rio Smedley was brutally murdered in April 2012 by Daniel Rigby, who had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting the child's pregnant mother Kirsty Smedley just a few weeks earlier - a case which was later dropped. A trial at Manchester Crown Court heard how Rio had 91 separate injuries on his body and died from a ruptured liver. The report said the child, who was known to social services, had lived in a home which lacked basic food, warmth, safety and material goods, but child protection workers had never fully resolved concerns over his mother's ability to care for him. A fire had also previously broken out at the family home while Rio was in the care of "unacceptably young" babysitters. Meanwhile the police dropped the assault case against Rigby after Smedley said she did not wish to press charges, meaning he was free to resume contact with the family. The serious case review found social workers, who had repeated contact with the family over a number of years, kept closing their case files "prematurely" because Rio's mother showed little interest in engaging with them. The report, which ultimately found that Rio's death was not 'predictable or preventable' has now issued 26 recommendations to agencies including Bolton council, the NHS and the police, mostly around their handling of domestic abuse cases. Rigby, of Tyldesley, Wigan, was jailed for life with a minimum tariff of 17 years in November 2012 for the horrific attack, carried out while Smedley was out buying him cannabis. Daniel Rigby (right) was jailed for life with a minimum tariff of 17 years for the horrific attack, while Kirsty Smedley (left) was jailed for four years for causing or allowing the death of a child Smedley claimed Rio had fallen down the stairs at their home on in Breighmet, Bolton, but a trial heard his injuries - enough to "split his liver in two" - could not have been caused by a fall. Smedley was jailed for four years for causing or allowing the death of a child. A court heard she had become pregnant a total of seven times by a number of different men and was said to have 'an irresponsible view of obligations of a mother'. When Rio was six months old a fire broke out at the house after he was left in the care of very young babysitters. The family house was also regularly the subject of complaints of anti-social behaviour. Tragedy struck after Smedley had a fling with Rigby during which he headbutted her across the face and called a 'fat s***' . He was arrested and banned from contacting Smedley, but she later dropped the charges against him. The report said Rio, who was known to social services, had lived in a home which lacked basic food, warmth, safety and material goods, but child protection workers had never fully resolved concerns over his mother's ability to care for him Two days later Rio was taken to hospital following a 999 call falsely claiming he had fallen down the stairs. The youngster died shortly afterwards with doctors concluding he had been viciously beaten. Bolton Safeguarding Children Board published a serious case review which concluded there were 'missed opportunities' in the case but Rio's death could not have been prevented. Smedley claimed Rio had fallen down the stairs at their home, but a trial heard his injuries - enough to 'split his liver in two' - could not have been caused by a fall The review found social workers should look more closely at family history when considering cases and review how they handle those in which domestic abuse could be a factor. Mike Tarver, chair of Bolton safeguarding children board, said it "welcomed" the recommendations and said the board had developed an action plan. Margaret Asquith, director of adult and children's services at Bolton council, added: 'We wish first of all to send our sincere sympathies to the family involved in this case. The serious case review found that the death could not have been predicted or prevented, but made recommendations to further improve practice and develop services. We have already taken steps to implement the recommendations to improve where we can, safeguarding of children in Bolton. A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission is due to be published shortly. Chief Superintendent Vanessa Jardine, head of Greater Manchester Police's Public Protection Division, said: 'This young child's death was a tragedy and the family has suffered and continues to suffer immeasurably. Our thoughts and sympathies remain with them. 'We have fully supported the Bolton Child Safeguarding Board's Serious Case Review, which has comprehensively examined the involvement of all agencies in this case. The review concluded that the tragic death of this young child could not have been predicted or prevented, but did make a number of recommendations about enhancements to current GMP working practices surrounding dealing with domestic abuse cases. We have noted these findings and the recommendations made are now being implemented. In 2012 the Force introduced a new Public Protection Division, providing teams of highly skilled and experienced officers who are dedicated to investigating crimes against vulnerable people, targeting offenders and supporting victims. The aim of this new division is to improve the way we deal with the most vulnerable members of our community, as well as providing improved support to our staff and liaising more closely with other agencies to deal with these cases effectively. Rio Smedley was murdered in April 2012 by his mother's partner Daniel Rigby after she left him in his care at her home in Bolton. The fatal blow was delivered to the youngster's stomach and split his liver in two after his mother Kirsty Smedley left to get cash to buy cannabis for her boyfriend. Rigby was sentenced to life in November 2012 and ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years after he was found guilty of the murder on April 22. Smedley was jailed for four years in December 2012 after she was convicted the previous month of allowing his death. The court heard she knew her son had received two nasty injuries to his backside and head the day before when Rigby was looking after him. The injuries were inflicted in the space of three hours and included significant bruising to both his feet caused by stamping. Smedley who has already been pregnant seven times was castigated by the judge for having 'an irresponsible view of obligations of a mother' after he heard how she put her love life first. Sentencing her, Mr Justice MacKay said the jury's verdict meant they were sure she knew or ought to have known there was a significant risk of serious harm to her son. Rigby had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting Rio's pregnant mum Kirsty Smedley just a few weeks earlier - but the case was dropped. Today Bolton Safeguarding Children Board published a serious case review which concluded social workers 'missed opportunities' in the case but Rio's death could not have been prevented. The review has issued 26 recommendations to agencies including Bolton council, the NHS and the police, mostly around their handling of domestic abuse cases. It found social workers, who had repeated contact with the family over a number of years, kept closing their case files "prematurely" because Rio's mother showed little interest in engaging with them. It says Rio's home lacked basic food, warmth, safety and material goods, but child protection workers had never fully resolved concerns over his mum's ability to care for him.