Baby P’s mother Tracey Connelly should be freed from jail, parole board rules

Parent was jailed in 2009 for the role she played in her son Peter’s 2007 death in north London in a case that shocked the nation

The Parole Board has decided Tracey Connelly, the mother of Baby P, who died after months of abuse, should be freed from jail (PA)

The mother of Baby P should be freed from jail, the Parole Board has decided.

Tracey Connelly, was jailed in 2009 for the role she played in her son Peter’s 2007 death in Tottenham, north London, in a case that shocked the nation.

Known publicly as Baby P, he had suffered more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over eight months.

Connelly admitted the offence and was handed a sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) with a minimum term of five years.

The Parole Board said on Wednesday: “After considering the circumstances of her offending and time on licence, the progress made while in custody, the evidence presented at the hearing and the recommendations of the witnesses, the panel was satisfied that Ms Connelly was suitable for release.”

This is Connelly’s fourth review by the Parole Board since she was jailed.

Seventeen-month-old Peter Connelly, known publicly as Baby P, died in 2007 after suffering more than 50 injuries over eight months (ITV News/PA)

However, justice secretary Dominic Raab today told the Commons he will apply to the Parole Board to ask it to reconsider plans to free Connelly.

He said: “Madame Deputy Speaker with your forbearance before I go on to address the detail of the statement, can I also just update the House on the recent news this morning, because in light of the Parole Board’s direction to release Tracey Connelly, I should inform the House that having carefully read the decision, I have decided to apply to the Parole Board to seek their reconsideration.”

His statement came as part of an announcement of a “root and branch” review of the parole system.

The Parole Boards’s decision was meant to be made last year but had been delayed for more reports and information.

Connelly was let out on licence in 2013 but was recalled to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole conditions.

The Parole Board considered her case for a third time in 2019 following previous reviews in 2015 and 2017, and refused to either release her or move her to an open prison.

In 2020 she lost an appeal against the latest Parole Board decision not to release her.

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Tracey Connelly following an oral hearing.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”

Additional reporting by Press Association