A mother accused doctors yesterday of 'ignoring the obvious' when they failed to alert police and social workers about abuse her daughter suffered before she was murdered.
Ella-Rose Clover, who died aged 22 months in January 2018, had been taken to hospital nine times in the previous seven months with bruising and internal injuries.
Her bruises included a black eye and marks to her ear and legs, and one occasion she required emergency surgery to her bowel.
But an inquest heard doctors believed there may have been a rare medical cause.
Now the trust that runs the hospitals where Ella-Rose was treated has admitted it should have raised the alarm two months before her death.
The toddler was put in the care of her godmother Sharleen Hughes while her mother Pagan Clover was at work.
Ella-Rose Clover, who died aged 22 months in January 2018, had been taken to hospital nine times in the previous seven months with bruising and internal injuries (pictured with her mother Pagan Clover)
Hughes's partner Michael Wild (pictured), now 32, repeatedly beat and punched Ella-Rose. She died after he inflicted a blow to the stomach so serious it caused internal bleeding and cardiac arrest
The inquest heard from six doctors (five pictured) and surgeons who saw Ella-Rose at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Wythenshawe Hospital, each of whom apologised or admitted they should have acted differently
Hughes's partner Michael Wild, now 32, repeatedly beat and punched Ella-Rose.
She died after he inflicted a blow to the stomach so serious it caused internal bleeding and cardiac arrest.
Each time the little girl suffered serious unexplained bruising and was taken to hospital, she had been looked after by Hughes.
Her mother did not suspect Wild or Hughes and sought an explanation for the injuries from doctors, who said they were not deliberately inflicted, the inquest was told.
Independent experts told the inquest the injuries were clearly the result of abuse and the link should have been made as early as July 2017 when Ella-Rose was admitted to hospital with bruising.
Manchester Hospitals Foundation Trust accepted that it 'should have alerted Greater Manchester Police and Manchester Children's Services to a suspicion Ella's life was at significant risk'.
After the four-day inquest at Manchester Coroner's Court, assistant coroner Nick Stanage concluded yesterday: 'The failings admitted to by the trust possibly caused or contributed to the unlawful killing of Ella-Rose.'
He said that had the trust alerted the authorities, 'a chain of events could have resulted in the removal of Ella-Rose to a place of safety'.
The coroner found that at least two months before the murder, 'the trust ought to have known that Ella Rose's life was at significant risk from physical abuse at the hands of a criminal third party'.
At that point, Ella-Rose had been admitted to hospital with life-threatening internal
