Baby Peter's mother jailed indefinitely

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-22 20:42

LONDON - The mother of Baby P, the toddler who died following an horrific campaign of abuse, was branded manipulative, self-centred and selfish by the judge who jailed her indefinitely on Friday.

The sentencing comes as a damning new report said the youngster's death should have been prevented.

File photo shows Baby P at 12 months.

[Agencies]

Baby Peter's 27-year-old mother, who cannot be named, her 32-year-old boyfriend and lodger Jason Owen, 37, were convicted last year of causing or allowing his death in August 2007 at the age of just 17 months.

The toddler had suffered a broken back and over 40 serious injuries during prolonged domestic violence, despite being on Haringey Council's child protection register.

The mother was given an indefinite jail term on Friday at the Old Bailey and told she would serve at least five years in prison, the Press Association reported.

"You are a manipulative and self-centred person, with a calculating side as well as a temper," Judge Stephen Kramer told her. "I reject the suggestion that you were blind to what was happening in that house or that you were naive."

In a statement read out by her lawyer to the court on Thursday, Peter's mother apologised for her failings and said she punished herself every day.

But the judge added: "Your conduct over the months prevented Peter from being seen by social services. You actively deceived the authorities. You acted selfishly because your priority was your relationship with (the boyfriend)."

The boyfriend, who earlier this month was also found guilty of raping a two-year-old girl, was jailed for life for the rape and told he must serve at least 10 years in jail.

That sentence will run concurrently with a 12-year sentence he was given for his role in Baby P's death.

The lodger, Owen, was given an indeterminate sentence, with a minimum term of three years.

News that Peter had suffered months of abuse despite being regularly monitored by social services, doctors and the police provoked outrage from politicians and the public.

Sharon Shoesmith, head of children's services at Haringey, was sacked and other senior council officials quit after a "devastating" review found serious concerns over child protection in the borough.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls also ordered a new "serious case review" into Peter's death after inspectors found the one prepared by the authority was inadequate.

Unveiling details of the second review on Friday, Graham Badman, chairman of the Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board, said: "His horrifying death could and should have been prevented."

"The Serious Case Review says that if doctors, lawyers, police officers and social workers had adopted a more urgent, thorough and challenging approach, the case would have been stopped in its tracks at the first serious incident.

"Baby Peter deserved better from the services that were supposed to protect him."

Earlier this month, NHS bodies were also criticised for systemic failures that failed to prevent Peter's death.

The government has promised to spend 60 million pounds to bring about a "step-change" in child protection to address failings in the system.