Tracy Connelly, the mother of Baby P who died after months of abuse, has been freed from jail, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.
Now 40, 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.
She was released on licence in 2013 but recalled to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole conditions.
In March, 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.
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab then asked the board, which is independent of government, to re-examine the decision under the so-called reconsideration mechanism.
But the Parole Board announced that application had been rejected and the original decision upheld.
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.’
This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates.
You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.