AGENCIES missed opportunities to support a Southampton teenager who died after being stabbed, it has been revealed.

James Laurie, 17, died of a single stab wound to the chest on January 19, 2020 after he staged a carjacking.

A report has now revealed that while the events that led to his death could have not been predicted, more could have been done to support him.

It comes as according to a report by Dr Russell Wate, the teenager’s involvement in crime followed an “extremely complex and troubled childhood” and experiences of neglect and domestic abuse.

Southampton Safeguarding Children Partnership said “important points of learning” have been highlighted.

The independent report described the 17-year-old – who is given the pseudonym ‘Liam’ – as a “witty, charismatic and insightful” boy with “an infectious smile”.

According to the report, he began to be involved in crime when he was eight and he was bullied during his childhood due to a club foot and a facial scar from a dog bite.

In his report Dr Wate said: “Professional curiosity in his very early years, may have given professionals opportunities to affect Liam’s life course.

"It would appear appropriate support was not offered, as it maybe should have been and probably would be now.

"The learning is that more should have probably been done earlier in Liam’s life in relation to dealing with cumulative effect of Liam’s early childhood neglect and trauma to establish a pattern for his life.”

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According to the report, throughout his life the youngster was placed in settings in Bristol, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Glasgow, Lancashire.

He was also involved in crime and in 2017 drug was found in his bedroom but no action was taken, Dr Wate said.

He added: “This could have sent completely the wrong message to Liam. This action also failed to look at Liam as a child victim of exploitation and is a missed opportunity to discover who the perpetrators were.”

Dr Wate also said: “There was no real plan to provide Liam with a "therapeutic intervention or direct work around his substance misuse and exploitation.”

In the report it is also said “it was unfortunate” that the teenager “had several changes of social worker later towards the end of his life”.

As previously reported, a 15-year-old accused of murdering the teenager was found not guilty of murder.

Derek Benson, Independent Chair of the Southampton Safeguarding Children Partnership, said: “I would like to extend my sincere condolences to “Liam’s” family and everyone who knew him.

"While the independent report we commissioned concluded that the immediate events that led to his death could not have been predicted, it has highlighted a number of important points of learning for safeguarding agencies in the city.

"These are especially pertinent to complex long-term interventions with children and young people.

While I am confident that these areas of learning are already being addressed effectively, we are committed to working with all safeguarding partners to ensure they are performing to the highest standards in keeping our vulnerable children safe.”

Hampshire Constabulary and Southampton City Council have been approached for comment.