Lauren used to come in and lean against the door frame as if she was scared to be a kid

Steve Arlington Neighbour

The small village on the Norfolk - Cambridgeshire border was to be her sanctuary.

When her father fell in love over the garden fence with his neighbour it had the makings of a fairytale ending.

Craig Wright and Lauren moved next door and the little girl was bridesmaid at the couple's wedding in the summer of 1999.

It was then that Tracey Wright, 31, showed her true colours as a stepmother capable of extreme acts of cruelty.

Pepper sandwiches

Behind closed doors, Tracey Wright forced Lauren to eat pepper sandwiches and put bugs in her food.

She would beat the little girl and tell elaborate lies to explain why Lauren was bruised.

Neighbour Martin Kent, who would walk the Wrights' dog, saw Lauren being forced to stand for more than an hour inches from a roaring fire.

Tracey Wright: "Nasty and evil"

"I asked her what Lauren had done wrong, she said 'you know what she's done wrong, she's messed the bed and is going to stand here until her father comes home'," he said.

Other neighbours, Deborah Hancock and Steve Arlington, both called social services about Lauren.

"My son come running in one day, locking me in the house and saying never ever to let the woman next door in because she was nasty and evil. He had seen her punching Lauren," said Deborah.

"Lauren used to come in and lean against the door frame as if she was scared to be a kid," said Steve.

Severe pain

Tracey Wright's two children also lived in the house.

Her son, now aged nine, told the trial that his mother used to punch him and Lauren but did not hit his sister.

He said he saw his mother punch Lauren twice in the stomach on the day she died.

Craig Wright: Fell in love with neighbour

Lauren would have suffered severe pain leading up to her death, the trial was told.

A post-mortem examination revealed part of her digestive system had been crushed as a result of a kick or punch to her abdomen.

Norfolk social services began an investigation after receiving anonymous calls about Lauren's welfare on 14 March, 2000.

Lauren, her family and teachers at Sir William Marshall School in Welney were interviewed.

A paediatrician who examined her considered her bruising was compatible with the parents' explanation.

No action

School staff were asked to monitor their pupil but no action was taken by Norfolk social services after another anonymous call on 12 April.

A Herfordshire social worker raised concerns to Norfolk social services on 26 April.

A home visit to Lauren was planned for 8 May, nearly two weeks later.

Lauren died at home on Saturday, 6 May, 2000.

During the weeks leading up to her death, fewer than half the posts were filled within Norfolk social services, the council has admitted.

Lauren Wright now lies in a simple grave in Hertfordshire, where she was born.