Baby P’s mother tells parole hearing she would be ‘risk to children in her care’

The mother of Baby P, who died after months of abuse, has told her parole hearing that she believes she would be a risk to children in her care after admitting she was a “bad mother”.

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

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

Giving evidence to her public parole hearing off camera, Connelly, who at points seemed emotional, said she “knew deep down” that Barker was abusing her son but she wanted her prince charming and her children “paid for that”.

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

Connelly’s parole hearing, livestreamed by video feed on Wednesday, is her seventh review for release and second review since she was recalled to prison last year after breaching licence conditions.

Asked if she perceives herself as being a risk to children, Connelly said: “Children in my care? Yes.

“Given how bad I was at it, I have to always accept that there is always a risk if I am left looking after children, which I can’t see ever being the case.

“Am I a risk to children walking down the street? No.”

Connelly, now in her 40s, also said she would not have a relationship with someone who has regular contact with children or grandchildren.

She added: “I don’t want to be around other people’s children or grandchildren.

“I was shit with my own, I don’t want to put anybody else at risk from me.”

Connelly admitted the offence of causing or allowing the death of her son and was handed a sentence of imprisonment for public protection with a minimum term of five years.

Barker moved in around the end of 2006, the panel heard, and she had not told social services that he and his brother were also living in the house.

Connelly told the Parole Board there is “a lot more I probably could have done to protect my children” before the death of Peter.

She said: “If I had told the professionals this man was living with me, if I had explained we were more than he was just visiting, there are 101 different things I could have done.

“I’m ashamed to admit, I was in my own head, in my own bubble. I wanted my prince charming and unfortunately my children paid for that.”

She said one of her children “couldn’t stand him” but her “selfishness didn’t acknowledge it”.

She added: “They were stuck in a worse situation that allowed my son to die.”

Speaking of being a mother before her son’s death, Connelly also admitted: “I was a bad mother.

“I failed to protect them, I put my needs first, I took all my anger at the world on my older children.

“I didn’t give them what they needed and they deserve a whole lot better than me.”

The panel heard how Connelly had engaged with a lot of interventions during her time in prison, including work with a forensic psychologist and trauma therapy.

But the hearing was told that Connelly was recalled to prison for a second time last year after she started a relationship with a man she met online without telling officials supervising her.

The situation was said to have “closely mirrored” that of her first recall and when she was in custody following her return to prison, when she also developed intimate relationships.

Asked by the panel how things are going to be different now after concealing three relationships, Connelly explained how her relationship with professionals is more collaborative where before she struggled with a lack of trust.

In events leading to her second recall, Connelly said she “lied” to professionals because she feared being rejected if she had to disclose her offending.

She told her parole hearing that she developed a friendship with a man, which started as “flirty banter” online, and which eventually led to the pair meeting and starting a sexual relationship.

She had deleted messages from her phone to avoid officials finding out about it.

Connelly said: “I did prioritise that relationship over truthfulness to the COMs (community offender managers).

“I robbed myself of the chance to prove to them that I could have a safe and happy relationship, I robbed myself from getting support from them to deal with things.”

Asked about how she has been getting on in prison since her return, she said she has learnt through the work she has done there that “I’m my own worst bully”.

She said she hopes the professional relationships she now has will help her keep going forward.

Connelly’s prison offender manager also gave evidence to the hearing recommending her for re-release with a management plan.

They said based on discussions with Connelly, she has got an awareness of what an unhealthy relationship looks like and what the warning signs might be.

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

“There can be no doubt that Peter’s death has caused lifelong harm to those who loved him,” Sally Allbeury said.

Panel members for Connelly’s review will assess her risk in whether to release her from prison or recommend she is transferred to open prison conditions.

The public parole hearing will continue on Thursday.