Mother of Baby P begins latest bid for release

Baby P's mother was recalled to prison last year after she began a relationship with a man she met online without telling officials who supervised her, a parole hearing was told.

Tracey Connelly was first jailed at the Old Bailey in 2009 for causing or allowing the death of her 17-month-old son Peter, known as Baby P, at their home in Tottenham, north London, on August 3, 2007.

She is seeking her latest release after being recalled to prison for a second time in August 2024 for breaching license conditions.

Wednesday's hearing was told the situation “exactly replicates” that of her first recall and her behavior in custody when she also became involved in an intimate relationship.

Baby P suffered more than 50 injuries, including broken ribs and a broken back, despite being on the high-risk list and being visited by 60 social workers, police officers and medical professionals over eight months.

Her prison offender manager (POM) told the parole hearing board that Connelly deleted the material from her phone to prevent officials from finding out about her relationship, leading to her second revocation.

Panel chair Sally Albury said a previous parole hearing found there was a “serious risk in the context of Ms Connelly developing an intimate relationship in which she places the needs of her partner and her own needs above the needs of the children”.

“Subsequent commissions have expressed the same concerns,” she added.

Connelly had previously failed to tell social services that other people were living with her after her partner and his brother moved into the house, and in 2013 the commission heard she sought to maintain her intimate relationship at all costs.

Giving evidence at Wednesday's hearing, a police spokesman for Connolly said she kept her relationship with a man she met online “for fear of being judged” a secret.

Ms Albury said Connelly “had every right” to enter into any relationship she wanted, as long as she was open about it.

The POM recommends Connelly's release along with a management plan.

In 2009, Connelly admitted an offense of causing or allowing the death of her son and was given a community protection prison sentence of a minimum term of five years.

Her then-boyfriend Stephen Barker and his brother Jason Owen were convicted of the same crime.

Earlier in the hearing, the chairwoman said the commission heard “extremely moving” victim impact statements from the child’s loved ones.

“There can be no doubt that Peter's death caused lifelong harm to those who loved him,” Ms Albury said.

The options available to the commission include allowing Connolly to be released or recommending that she be transferred to an open prison.

Connolly was first released on license in 2013 but was recalled to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole conditions. She was released a second time in July 2022 and recalled again two years later.

Previous parole applications in 2015, 2017 and 2019 were rejected.