The mother of Baby P, who died after months of abuse, is set to be freed from prison after the Parole Board rejected a Government challenge against its ruling to release her. Tracey Connelly could be out of jail within weeks after board judges refused the bid by Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to keep her behind bars for longer.
But Mr Raab condemned the decision and said it was proof the Parole Board needed a "fundamental overhaul". Now 40, she 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.
Responding to the decision, Mr Raab said Connelly's actions were "pure evil" and added: "The decision to release her demonstrates why the parole board needs a fundamental overhaul - including a ministerial check for the most serious offenders - so that it serves and protects the public."
Connelly was released on licence in 2013 but recalled to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole conditions. In March the Parole Board decided she was suitable for release, having rejected three previous bids.
But last month Mr Raab asked the board, which is independent of government, to re-examine the decision under the so-called reconsideration mechanism. On Thursday the Parole Board announced that application had been rejected and the original decision upheld.
A spokesman said in a statement: "Following the reconsideration application from the Secretary of State, a judge has ruled that the decision made by independent Parole Board members to release was not irrational, as stated in the reconsideration application, and the original decision is upheld."
Mr Raab has been laying out plans to overhaul the parole process, telling MPs the case for doing so was "clear and made out" as he vowed to "enforce public safety".
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 and his brother Jason Owen were also convicted. The reconsideration mechanism, introduced in July 2019, allows the Justice Secretary and the prisoner in question to challenge the Parole Board's decision if they believe them to be "procedurally unfair" or "irrational" within 21 days.
Victims and members of the public can also make a request via the minister. But the threshold is high and is the same as is required when seeking a judicial review. The provisions also make clear that "being unhappy" with the decision is not grounds for reconsideration.
