Sick Tracey Connelly, who was jailed at the Old Bailey in 2009 after the death of Baby P, is up for parole soon. But a detective who interviewed her ahead of her son’s death has spoken out saying she should remain in jail
A detective who interviewed the monstrous mum of Baby P says she should not be given a “second chance”.
Sick Tracey Connelly 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. Her then-boyfriend, Steven Barker, and his brother, Jason Owen, were convicted of the same crime.
Connelly is set to go before a parole panel next month but Jon Wedger, who interviewed her before Peter died, says she should never be given a second chance at freedom.
Mr Wedger, a former Met Police, told the Sun: “She was a very very controlling woman… straight away I knew how manipulative she was.”
Just days before Peter’s death, Mr Wedger questioned Connelly at a police station near where she lived in Haringey, North London. A decision had to be made on if Connelly would be held on remand or her bail extended in relation to suspicions she was beating Peter.
Connelly adopted a pretence as a caring mum and gave “ridiculous” excuses for her little boy’s injuries.
But suddenly, Connelly “couldn’t control herself” and this was the moment “the monster in her came out”. Mr Wedger said: “I turned round to her and said ‘that is the monster your child sees’.”
In a previous interview, Mr Wedger said: “I outwitted her, and she lost the plot. She went from being this really sweet, smiley, nice person – in a heartbeat that psychopath came out and she stood up and went ‘you c***’ and gobbed in my face.”
Mr Wedger thinks during the hearing Connelly will“come across as plausible, respectable but she’s a liar”. He added: “I don’t think that woman should ever be given a second chance.”
Last year, Connelly broke her silence on her son’s death and admitted she was a “bad mother”. She said she ignored signs about Barker, saying. “I failed to protect them, I put my needs first, I took all my anger at the world on my older children. I didn’t give them what they needed and they deserve a whole lot better than me.”
In 2013, Connelly was released, but recalled for breaching parole conditions in 2015. She was released again in 2022, but recalled after she failed to follow the conditions of her release at a bail hostel. She had “developed an intimate relationship with a man”, which was hidden from a probation officer, her parole opening heard.
Known publicly as Baby P, Peter 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. The case shocked the nation due to the extent of Peter’s injuries.
Connelly admitted the offence of causing or allowing the death of her son and was handed a sentence of imprisonment for public protection with a minimum term of five years.
Connelly told the Parole Board last year there is “a lot more I probably could have done to protect my children” before the death of Peter which saw her then-partner Barker and his brother living at the family home.
She said: “If I had told the professionals this man was living with me, if I had explained we were more than he was just visiting, there are 101 different things I could have done. I’m ashamed to admit, I was in my own head, in my own bubble. I wanted my prince charming and unfortunately my children paid for that.”
She said one of her children “couldn’t stand him” but her “selfishness didn’t acknowledge it” and added “they were stuck in a worse situation that allowed my son to die.”
