The mother of Baby P has been recalled to prison after breaching her licence conditions, officials have confirmed.
Tracey Connelly, 42, was jailed at the Old Bailey in 2009 for causing or allowing the death of her 17-month-old son Peter who was tortured at their home in Tottenham, north London on August 3, 2007.
Connelly had already been recalled in 2015 after selling nude images online.
In July 2022, the Ministry of Justice announced her release again in a move then-justice secretary Dominic Raab condemned as proof the parole system needs a “fundamental overhaul”.
But little over two years later, current justice secretary Shabana Mahmood authorised Connelly’s second recall following an unspecified breach of licence conditions.
A HM Prison and Probation Service spokesperson said: “Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and we do not hesitate to recall them to prison if they break the rules.”
It will be a matter for the Parole Board to decide if she is ever released again.
Known publicly as Baby P, Peter had 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.
A series of reviews identified missed opportunities for officials to save the toddler’s life had they reacted properly to warning signs.
Connelly was handed a sentence of imprisonment for public protection with a minimum term of five years after admitting her crimes. Her boyfriend Steven Barker, the child’s stepfather, and his brother Jason Owen were also convicted.
Barker was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 10 years for raping a two-year-old girl and given a 12-year term to run concurrently for his ''major role'' in the death of baby Peter.
In March 2022, the Parole Board decided Connelly was suitable for release – having rejected three previous bids in 2015, 2017 and 2019 – after hearing she is now considered to be at “low risk of committing a further offence” and that probation officers and prison officials supported the plan.
She was released on licence in 2013, but recalled to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole conditions.
At the time then-Deputy Prime Minister and justice secretary Mr Raab said: “Tracey Connelly’s cruelty was pure evil, which is why I strongly opposed her release.
“The decision to let her out demonstrates why the Parole Board needs a fundamental overhaul, including a ministerial block, to protect the public and keep dangerous offenders off our streets.”
Mr Raab had asked the board, which is independent of the Government, to re-examine the decision under the so-called reconsideration mechanism. His application was “refused”.
Connelly was subject to restrictions on her movements, activities and who she contacts, and faces 20 extra licence conditions.
They include living at a specified address – initially a bail hostel – as well as being supervised by probation, wearing an electronic tag, adhering to a curfew and having to disclose her relationships.
Her use of the internet and a phone was monitored, and she had been told she cannot go to certain places to “avoid contact with victims and to protect children”.
