Mother of Baby P begins latest bid for release
Tracey Connelly, the mother of Baby P, has attended a recent parole hearing. The purpose of the hearing was to determine if she should be re-released after being recalled to prison.
Connelly was sentenced for causing or allowing the death of her 17-month-old son, Peter, also known as Baby P, at their home in Tottenham, North London, on August 3, 2007. Following months of horrific abuse by Connelly, her boyfriend Steven Barker, and his brother, Jason Owen, Peter was found dead in his cot in 2007.
Parole Board Hears Family's Objections
The public hearing was held to assess whether Connelly should be recalled to prison or relocated to open conditions. Sally Allbeury of the Parole Board informed the court that the panel had heard private submissions from Peter’s relatives expressing their deep reservations about Connelly's potential release.
Ms Allbeury stated that those remarks highlighted Peter's continuing impact on the authors' lives and their scepticism about Ms Connelly's future conduct. She added, "We found these statements extremely moving. There can be no doubt that Peter’s death has caused lifelong pain to those who loved him." The relatives also requested that specific conditions be put in place to protect them in the event of Ms Connelly's release.
Background and Previous Decisions
Connelly, a woman in her 40s, was first recalled to prison last year for violating her licence conditions. This followed an earlier successful parole attempt, which resulted in her release in 2022.
Despite the panel receiving evidence about Connelly’s ability to manipulate and deceive—and hearing stories of her becoming embroiled in prison affairs and exchanging love letters with a fellow inmate—the Parole Board found her ready for release in March of this year. The board determined she was at low risk of committing a new offence, and both probation officers and prison officials approved the strategy.
The then Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab, appealed that decision, but a judge denied his attempt to keep her detained. Connelly had previously been released on licence in 2013 but was recalled to jail in 2015 for violating her parole conditions. Three earlier parole applications in 2015, 2017, and 2019 were also turned down.
Public Interest and Legal Context
Both Barker and Owen were also found guilty of the same offence of causing or allowing a child's death. Connelly was originally sentenced to five years for the crime. A series of subsequent reports revealed that officials had missed opportunities to save Peter’s life by failing to respond properly to warning signs.
Parole hearings are typically held in private. However, a judge permitted Connelly’s case to be heard in public, acknowledging that "there can be no doubt that there is a substantial public interest" in the matter. The Parole Board characterised the case as "one of the most high-profile and devastating child protection failures in UK history."
