By Sheila McKenzie-
Tracey Connelly, the mother jailed over the horrific 2007 death of her 17-month-old son Peter, known publicly as Baby P, recently spoke for the first time about the events leading to his murder. During her current Tracey Connelly Parole Hearing, the 44-year-old admitted that she failed to protect her child because she prioritized maintaining her relationship with her abusive partner.
Tracey Connelly and Baby P. Pics: PA/ITV News
Tributes left to Baby P. Pic: PA
Connelly stated she allowed the abuse because she desperately wanted her “Prince Charming,” confessing her selfishness tragically facilitated Peter’s death at their home in Tottenham, North London. This seventh bid for release from the indefinite sentence for public protection (IPP) has drawn intense scrutiny, with the proceedings being live-streamed publicly from the prison to the International Dispute and Resolution Centre in London.
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Peter suffered more than 50 catastrophic injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken back, despite being on the at-risk register and having received 60 visits from social workers, police, and health professionals over an eight-month period.
Connelly initially denied wrongdoing during her Old Bailey trial in 2009, alongside her boyfriend, Steven Barker, and his brother, Jason Owen. She later pleaded guilty to the charge of causing or allowing a child’s death.
Connelly’s boyfriend Steven Barker jailed for 12 years. Pic: PA
During the ongoing Tracey Connelly Parole Hearing, she offered a glimpse into her personal turmoil, tearfully describing her own childhood as “torture” and extremely traumatic. Connelly admitted she was a “bad mother” who “failed to protect” Peter after moving Barker into their home. She confessed that “deep down” she knew Barker was abusing her son but became so consumed with proving professionals wrong that she completely “ignored my gut.”
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Connelly’s application is particularly complex because she has been released on license twice before and subsequently recalled to prison both times for breaching her conditions. The repeated breaches directly center on her inability to maintain transparency about intimate relationships. She admitted to the panel that her “selfishness” created a “worse situation” which directly “allowed my son to die.” This pattern of poor judgment and concealment forms a central point of review in the current Tracey Connelly Parole Hearing.
She was first released on license in 2013 but was recalled just two years later in 2015. The reason for the recall was breaching conditions by “secretly developing intimate personal relationships” online and sending intimate photos to a man in another country, concealing her true identity. While back in custody, the court heard she then “developed an intimate relationship with another prisoner” which she subsequently hid from staff, exchanging “jail mail” after they were separated.
Her second release came in July 2022, but she was recalled again in September last year after once more breaching license conditions. This time, she met a man on an app, gave him a fake backstory, and concealed the relationship from parole officers by deleting material from her phone to avoid detection. She admitted meeting him for food, the cinema, and a weekend at a hotel where they had sex twice. The fact that she can have relationships but must report them is a non-negotiable condition. She told the panel that if she had to reveal her true identity, “anyone in their right mind would run a mile,” recognizing the devastating reputation linked to the case.
The three panel members overseeing the Tracey Connelly Parole Hearing are analysing a massive 763-page dossier, tasked with deciding if she meets the legal test for release based on an assessment of her “risk to the public.” She herself conceded that she continues to present a high risk to any children under her care. She plainly stated, “Given how bad I was at it, I have to accept that’s always a risk if I’m left looking after children, which I can’t see ever being the case.” Justice Minister David Lammy is formally opposing her application for re-release, a stance shared by the victim’s loved ones.
The panel received powerful and “extremely moving” statements from members of Peter’s family, who expressed profound “concerns about her potential release” and demanded “conditions to be put in place to protect them” if she is freed. The panel chair, Sally Allbeury, confirmed that Peter’s death “has caused life-long harm to those who loved him and as such they are also victims of Ms Connelly’s offending.”
A prison psychologist who testified on Thursday confirmed that while Connelly meets the technical test for release, they could not rule out the possibility that she might still be “deceiving” the panel. The psychologist noted that deceit remains “inherently very difficult” to measure but stressed that they had not seen evidence to suggest the progress she showed was disingenuous.
The core finding was that her risk level changes dramatically from low to potentially imminent if she becomes involved in another unhealthy relationship or if her mental health deteriorates. The parole board must balance this psychological assessment against her history of concealment and the immense public outcry surrounding the Tracey Connelly Parole Hearing. The decision is expected next month.
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