Evil stepfather who tortured Baby P to death could be out in months

09 March 2024 , 19:19

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Peter Connelly, known as Baby P, was tortured for months before he died (Image: PA)

Baby P’s evil stepfather is making a fresh bid for parole – and he could be out of jail in months.

The revelation comes just days after what would have been the tragic tot’s 18th birthday, on March 1. Baby P, real name Peter Connelly, was 17 months old when he was found dead in his bloodstained cot with more than 50 injuries, including a broken back, in Haringey, North London.

Stepdad Steven Barker was jailed in 2009 for causing his death, along with Peter’s mum Tracey and their lodger. It was a case that horrified the nation and highlighted major social care blunders and failings. But despite public outrage, statistics show around 884 other deaths of children in similar settings since then.

Tonight, there was fury at the prospect of brute Barker walking free. Nevres Kemal, the whistle-blowing former Haringey social worker who warned her bosses of failings six months before the tragedy in August 2007, told us: “Barker has never shown any remorse and has no shame. This is outrageous. It was prolonged and systematic abuse. I watched him in court. I warned something like that would happen in Haringey.

Steven Barker (PA)

“How can anybody like this return to society when they have carried out the most heinous crime against the most vulnerable in society? It is deeply shocking to think he could be released. Rehabilitation for him will not work. Life should mean life for child killers. Baby Peter’s life was taken away, so his liberty should as well.”

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Neo-Nazi Barker, 47, was ordered to serve 12 years over his role in Peter’s death. He also got a concurrent life sentence, with a minimum 10 years, for raping a two-year-old girl. Barker’s freedom bid would be his fifth, after the Parole Board previously said he had not made sufficient progress to be let out.

Sources say a fresh hearing will take place within months but officials would not confirm details. One source added: “Barker is hellbent on being released. He has had a string of hearings so far and will argue he has not caused problems in prison. But the thought of him being released is sickening.”

Tracey Connelly (Julian Hamilton/Sunday Mirror)

Peter died despite being on the at-risk register and nearly 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over the final eight months of his life. A series of reviews found officials could have saved the toddler if they had acted properly on the warning signs.

And Ms Kemal said she thinks the system is still broken, adding: “I believe this is happening every day. The social worker in Baby P’s case did not see what was happening in front of her.”

Peter’s mum Tracey Connelly, 41, was released in 2022. Their lodger Jason Owen – Barker’s older brother – was freed in 2014. The Parole Board was contacted for comment.

Isaac Crowson