Mother of Baby P back in jail after licence conditions breach

The mother of Baby P, who died after months of abuse, is back behind bars two years after being freed from jail.

Tracey Connelly was recalled to prison for a second time after breaching her licence conditions, in a move authorised by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

Now in her 40s, Connelly left prison in July 2022 after the Parole Board ruled she was suitable for release in March that year.

Then-justice secretary Dominic Raab appealed against the decision, but a judge rejected his bid to keep her behind bars. Condemning the move, Mr Raab said at the time this was proof the parole system needs a “fundamental overhaul”.

A Prison and Probation Service spokeswoman said on Tuesday: “Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and we do not hesitate to recall them to prison if they break the rules.”

Connelly was jailed 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.

She had previously been released on licence in 2013 but recalled to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole conditions.

In the latest review, the Parole Board decided Connelly was suitable for release – having rejected three previous bids in 2015, 2017 and 2019 – after hearing she was considered to be at “low risk of committing a further offence” and that probation officers and prison officials supported the plan.

This was despite the panel highlighting concerns over Connelly’s ability to manipulate and deceive, and hearing evidence of how she had become embroiled in prison romances and traded secret love letters with an inmate.

After her latest release, Connelly had been subject to restrictions on her movements, activities and who she contacted, as well as 20 extra licence conditions.

They included living at a specified address 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 also monitored, and she was also told she could not go to certain places to “avoid contact with victims and to protect children”.

Last year, two High Court judges ruled that a policy – introduced in the wake of the decision to free Connelly – forbidding prison and probation staff from recommending whether prisoners were suitable for release to the Parole Board was unlawful and may have led to people being wrongly freed.

Connelly will have to face another parole panel at a later date in order to be considered again for re-release.