A TREGARON lawyer claims an eight-year-old boy who died from scurvy was failed by the system and he is calling for an independent review.

A post-mortem found that home-educated Dylan Seabridge of Eglwyswrw, who died in 2011, had suffered from gross anaemia, dental abnormalities, and haemorrhage in his lower legs, consistent with long-term vitamin C deficiency.

His parents Glynn and Julie were charged with wilful neglect, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to offer any evidence saying it was not in the public interest to pursue a case against Mr Seabridge, and that his wife was unfit to face criminal charges on health grounds.

A Child Practice Review into the death was debated by AMs at the Welsh Assembly and Darren Millar, who is on the Children and Young People Committee, told the Senedd he was appalled at the CPS’s decision not to prosecute.

The review into Dylan’s death called on the Welsh Government to introduce a compulsory register of home-educated children.

Now Mark Dyson, 59, who used to be a solicitor for Ceredigion County Council, maintains that a 15-page report by CYSUR Mid and West Wales Safeguarding Children Board failed to address the central issues, raising the possibility that similar cases could occur in the future.

Mr Dyson said he first raised concerns about the family 21 months before Dylan’s death.

The now-retired solicitor claims his evidence was ignored and has been “glossed over” in the report published more than four-and-a-half years later.

He also believes the report mis-states the law, claiming that no intervention is possible unless there is evidence of “significant harm”.

A spokesman for CYSUR said: “The Child Practice Review followed nationally recognised procedures and guidelines.

“The board accepted the findings of the review when it met on the 7 July and it was publicly released the following day. This was a regional safeguarding board report written independently by a national expert and Mr Dyson was given every opportunity to contribute by the independent author.”

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