Baby P's Mother, Tracey Connelly, To Be Released On Parole

Baby P's Mother To Be Released On Parole
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Baby P's mother is set to walk free from prison within days after serving just six years.

Tracey Connelly was jailed indefinitely with a minimum of five years in May 2009 for causing or allowing her son's death, in a crime that horrified a nation.

The 32-year-old, who allowed little Peter to be tortured to death by her boyfriend, may even be set free this week as experts believe she poses "no danger to the public."

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Baby P died aged 17 months after extensive abuse

Steven Barker, 32, was given a 12-year sentence by the judge for his role in the killing of Baby P, now named as Peter; and a concurrent life sentence with a minimum of 10 years for raping a two-year-old girl.

Peter was just 17 months old when he was found dead in his blood-spattered cot at his mother's north London flat, after suffering a catalogue of injuries, including a broken back.

Although he was on the at-risk register following some 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals, the warning signs were not acted upon

A series of reviews identified missed opportunities when officials could have saved him had they acted sooner.

His mother was branded "manipulative, self-centred and calculating" during her trial in the Old Bailey.

Assessments by psychologists and probation officers now suggest that she poses no threat to public safety, even though she was still found to be manipulative following the expert examinations.

It is understood that she has shown remorse for her horrific crimes, which is crucial to her plea for freedom.

Connelly wrote a letter to the judge presiding over her trial on the eve of her sentencing, expressing remorse for the death of her son.

"Dear judge ... I accept I failed my son Peter," she wrote.

"By not being fully open with social services I stopped them being able to do a full job. As a direct result of this, my son got hurt and sadly lost his short life.

"I have lost all I hold dear to me. Now every day of my life is full of guilt. I am trying to come to terms with my failure as a mother.

"There is not a day that goes by that I don't cry at some point. I have let down my family, my ex-husband, myself and most importantly my darling son.

"I would like to say I am sorry for all the pain and suffering my failures have caused."

News of her release was met with anger from Peter's grandmother, Mary O'Connor.

"She should never come out," she said, speaking to Sky News. "But even if she does I won't be seeing her again; she's out of my life."