17-Month-Old Baby Abused to Death While Under Social Services Watch “He Never Stood a Chance” | Baby P

Love and Murder is a weekly true crime podcast with a Dark side

Now part of the Darkcast Network. Welcome to Indie Podcasts with a Dark side. When a mother called 911 to report her son unresponsive in his crib, no one could have imagined the horror that was waiting inside the North London home. But what police uncovered wasn’t just a case of child abuse. It was a chain of systemic failures, hidden secrets, and a toddler’s death that would anger an entire nation. Not just nation, possibly the world. I have to put a warning at this point. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome, lambs. Welcome to Love and Murder, Heartbreak to Homicide, your weekly true crime podcast telling you cases of relationships that turn to homicide. Hi, my name is Ky and I did miss y’all. I had AI Jane, Jensen and Jessica do the midweek mini and the Florida Man Friday. Now the Florida Man Friday, if you missed it, that was because I did it, got everything done, hated it, and only put it out into Patreon. So if you do want to hear the Florida Man Friday, you can go ahead and join the Patreon and you can hear my abysmal, uh, failure in there. Patreon.com/loveandmurder if you’re new here, take a listen all the way to the end and if you like it, then go ahead and subscribe. Speaking of Patreon, like I said, you can go ahead and be a subscriber in our Patreon patreon.com/loveandmurder for free. You do get some benefits of being a free subscriber, but if you want bonus episodes, case files, like for instance, in this case, I did have a mini breakdown in doing the entire research and everything for it. So there’s actually a, uh, behind the scenes post about that in the Patreon. So you get stuff like that for being a sponsor of love and murder. Patreon.com/loveandmurder in the meantime though, I’ll talk more with you at the end of the episode. So go ahead and grab your butts, grab your delicious glass of apple juice and, um, let’s get into the case of Tracy Connelly.

This case was previously done into Patreon, where you will hear all of my rage

On October 3, 2007 at 11:35am M, a 911 call came in from an apartment in Tottenham, North London. Now I do want to point out before I get into this, that, ah, this episode, you’re not going to hear my usual ranting and raving. This case, like I said, was previously done into Patreon, where you will hear all of my rage in that episode. So if you want to hear that bonus episode that was done in October. Then you can join the patreon. Patreon.com/loveandmurder but I did want to point out because I know people are going to be like, well why were you so calm through this? It’s because I can’t put my brain through this again. So I just wanted to point that out.

Peter Connelly died of more than 50 injuries following alleged child abuse

So let’s continue. The caller was 26 year old Tracy Connelly, reporting that her 17 month old son was unresponsive in his crib and wasn’t breathing. Paramedics arrived to find Peter Connelly, known to the public as Baby P, lying in his crib wearing nothing but a, uh, blood stained diaper. He was blue, not breathing and covered in bruises. Paramedics tried desperately to resuscitate him and he was rushed to North Middlesex Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead at 12.20pm an autopsy revealed more than 50 injuries. He had a broken back, fractured ribs, a, uh, missing fingernail, mutilated fingertips and had even uh, swallowed a tooth after being punched. Remember he’s 17 months. He had bruises on his face and his scalp and not only were his fingers mutilated, but his toes were as well. He was also covered in open infected wounds and had been missing his front tooth for months. He had been choked, bitten and attacked by a Rottweiler. The pathologist said that it was one of the worst cases of child abuse he had ever seen. Peter was born on March 1, 2006 to Tracy Connelly. His biological father left the family home just a few months later and by June of that year, Peter, Tracy had a new boyfriend, Stephen Barker. By November, Stephen had secretly moved into her house. That December, a general practitioner spotted bruises on Peter’s face and chest. Tracy was arrested and Peter was placed with a family friend. Just five weeks later, in January 2007, Peter was returned to his mother. In April, he was admitted to North Middlesex Hospital with bruises, two black eyes and swelling on the side of his head. The next month after another injury, he was again taken to the Same Hospital where 12 different bruises and scratches were documented. Tracy was rearrested, but again Peter was returned home. Now my question is this is the second time. In April, he was admitted to the Middlesex Hospital with bruises, two black eyes and swelling on the side of the head. Why did he, why was he allowed to go home then like, and then it took till May when he had another injury, 12 different bruises and scratches and everything like that. Then she was arrested. But they said eff it, I’m going to return him home. On June 4th, a, uh, social worker saw more injuries. A doctor confirmed that it was child abuse, and Peter was removed and placed with a friend. A, uh, social worker noted that Tracy had, quote, made Progress. But by July 25, legal advice from the Harangi Council’s Children and Youth People Services concluded that the, quote, threshold for initiating care proceedings was not met. Peter went back to his mother once again. I, uh, want you to think about that for a moment. Think about that. On July 30, Peter was visited by a social worker who noted he was, quote, well and happy, despite fresh bruises on his face and hands. This was because he was deliberately smeared with chocolate to hide them. The social worker didn’t ask for him to be washed off and didn’t see anything wrong with him, and so she didn’t raise any concerns. Just days before his death, on August 1st, Peter was seen by a local pediatrician, Dr. Sabih Al, uh, Zayat, at St. Anne’s Hospital. She failed to perform a full checkup due to Peter’s, quote, cranky behavior, which she attributed to him being tired and fussy. She did not remove his clothes. She later admitted that she missed significant signs of abuse. Peter had a broken back and ribs at that time, and you were just like, oh, he’s cranky. Maybe he needs to be, you know, I’m not gonna. I’m not gonna talk about this, okay. The postmortem report believed those injuries predated Alziat’s examination. The very next day, on August 2, Tracey was told that she would not be prosecuted. And the day after that, her son was dead. The police immediately began a murder investigation, which, you know, a day late and a dollar short, but, you know, let’s start the murder investigation. And Tracy, Steven and Jason Owen were arrested and charged. And I’ll get into who Jason is in a moment. During police interviews, none of them accepted responsibility. Tracy claimed that she didn’t know how Peter had been injured really seriously. Steven denied harming him, and Jason insisted that he was just staying there occasionally. Now, during the investigation, police uncovered that Peter had been on the radar for social services since December 2006. When was he born again? He was born March 1, then Steven moved in in November, and then by December, he was on the radar for child abuse. Huh. Doctors reported their concerns, and he had been placed on the child protection register under the category of physical abuse and neglect. Unbeknownst to social services, Stacy had started a relationship with Steven. Like I told you, Steven had a history of violence, and his brother Jason, who was a known drug user with a criminal past, also began Staying at the home. So this is why the secretly moved into Tracy’s home happened. Peter’s condition worsened, uh, drastically after Stephen moved in. Family members reported that the boy had become withdrawn, fearful, and covered in bruises. Look, as a family member, I would have faced jail time and I would have taken that child out of the house. And while you’re trying to lock me up, I would have told you to look at the boy, take off his shirt, look at him. I was rescuing him. And then I would call every news outlet to let them know that they locked me up and not the boy’s mother and everybody that was in her house. It would never, ever had just gone down like that without a fight. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It wouldn’t have happened. One family friend recalled, quote, he had a haunted look. He’s 17 months. For people who don’t have babies, that’s not even two years old yet. That’s like a month and a half or almost a month and a half. One. One month to a month and a half. The case went to trial and Jason and Tracy had been cleared of murder due to insufficient evidence. And Stephen was found not guilty of murder by a jury. Don’t know what it takes. I don’t know what it takes. The investigation continued. It was uncovered that on August 2, Stephen had brutally assaulted Peter after the toddler had soiled himself. He’s a freaking toddler. According to court testimony, Stephen held Peter. I m have to take a breath for this, okay? Stephen held Peter upside down and slammed him into the floor. Peter was put back into his crib and left to suffer overnight. Tracy and Jason did nothing to help him. I have to tell you, I have to report this to you as a juror. As soon as I heard that story, I’m sorry, I’m going to jail because I’m going to leap over that jury box and I am going to try with all my might to get that mother. I am going to try and fight her like she had done this to my child. There is no way that I would be able to just sit there and hear this and know that this mother knew this guy did this to her child. And she was just like, meh, I didn’t know he was hurt. By the next morning, August 3rd, Peter was unresponsive. Tracy finally called 911 or because it’s Britain 999. When paramedics arrived, they found him in the blood stained diaper and apparently his crib had blood on it also and he had feces all over his body. In November 2008, after a nine week trial at the Old Bailey, Stephen was convicted of quote, causing, allowing the death of a child or vulnerable person.

The aftermath of Peter’s death triggered a series of inquiries and reviews

Jason was found guilty of the same charge. Tracy had already pled guilty earlier in the year. A second trial took place in April of 2009 where Tracy and Steven faced, uh, charges related to the rape of a two year old girl who was also on the Harangi’s child protection register. Uh, okay, what is the, what’s, what’s the point of this? Child protective registrar? I’m, I’m, I’m completely baffled here. What is the point of it? In this trial, Stephen was found guilty of rape, while Tracy was found not guilty of child cruelty charges. This is why as a jury, I would have tried to get her myself. Sentencing for both trials took place on May 22, 2009 at the Old Bailey. Tracy was sentenced to indefinite imprisonment for public protection with a minimum term of five years. Stephen was sentenced to life imprisonment for the sexual assault of that 2 year old with a minimum sentence of 10 years. Why the bloody frick did he get a minimum sentence and a 12 year sentence for his role in the death of Peter to run concurrently. Jason was also jailed indefinitely with a minimum term of three years. What is with the minimum terms? His sentence was later changed on appeal to a fixed six year term. Lambs. The sentence was criticized by the NSPCC as too lenient and it was also criticized by Ky as well. But the Attorney General concluded that there was no realistic prospect of the court of appeal increase in them. The three convicted individuals did appeal their sentences, with Stephen also appealing his convictions. The absolute female dog Donkey audacity. The aftermath of Peter’s death triggered a series of inquiries and reviews. A, uh, nationwide review of social service care was launched and the head of children’s services at Harangi, Sharon Shoesmith, was removed from her post by the Governor Minister. And I’ll go more into this soon. One of the first things the Harangi Council did was to initiate an internal audit. Serious case review, which is an scr. However, the full report was kept confidential. Why? Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, condemned this and called for a second report with an independent adjudicator. A leaked report from the Mail on Sunday in March 2009 claimed that the executive summary of the SCR omitted crucial details about the handling of the case and the extent of Peter’s injuries, pointing to mishandling, missed meetings and miscommunication. Lynn Featherstone MP had Previously raised concerns about the Harang Council’s handling of child protection cases following Peter’s death. Three council workers received written warnings and the roles of the two doctors who saw Peter. Dr. Jerome Ikweke and Dr. Saba Elziat were examined. Dr. Ikueke was suspended and Dr. Al Zayat’s contract was terminated pending an inquiry. Why were their license not revoked? Frick the getting fired. Frick, your contract being terminated. Why were your license not revoked? I’m trying to stay calm because I told y’all I wasn’t going to be all hype in this episode because I just, I need to keep this box around my mental health. But it, it’s really hard to stay calm. A confidential report by Professor Joe Siebert concluded that Peter’s condition during Al Zayat’s examination should have prompted urgent action, including hospital admission. Yeah, he had a, he had a broken back, if y’all remember. Ugh. Uh, disturbingly, details of this report were allegedly omitted from the second Serious Case Review. Ed Balls ordered an external inquiry into Harangi Council Social services following this. On December 1, 2008. This was when Sharon was removed from her post. This decision wasn’t without its own controversy. Sharon was eventually fired on December 8, 2008, and she later brought legal proceedings claiming unfair dismissal, which she ultimately, uh, won in the court of appeal in May 2011. Is nobody caring about the child? I’m, uh, just wondering here. She later agreed to a six figure payout for unfair dismissal. This was the head of the head of the program. The program who wasn’t doing their job. Two children so far, which at the end of the month, I’m going to do a third under this freaking program. Were violently abused. You are the head. You are not making sure people are following up at XYZ and XYZ and XYZ and, um, whatever the hell else. She was fired, she sued, she won, and she got paid. She got paid for this, y’all. I cannot, I cannot, I can’t. Alongside Sharon’s removal, Labor Council leader George Meehan and counselor Liz Santry also resigned. The official reports into Peter’s death were damning. A, uh, report stated that his, quote, horrifying death could and should have been prevented and that the practice of the majority of staff involved was incompetent. Yeah, but you know, they getting paid six figures because they were unfairly fired. This highlights the failures across the board. The GP for not raising concerns. Yeah, but their license still is intact. The police for not investigating suspicious injuries. But they’re okay. Still, the school attended by Peter’s siblings for not mentioning difficulties with the mother. The school wasn’t even mentioned in the case until now. And the social workers and their managers for not seriously considering Peter was at risk. But you know, the head of them was dismissed and then given a six figure payout. So all around nobody got anything done to them except poor Peter. The report also criticized the failure to realize Stephen was living at the home and to properly assess his potential risk. There was a, quote, readiness and a willingness to believe Ms. A’s account, which I don’t know why. The home itself was described as disorganized, dirty and smelly. The aftermath also saw a, ah, libel action by Peter’s biological father, known only as KC who was wrongly identified as a convicted sex offender by the People newspaper. How dare you. You went after the father who wasn’t even there. Granted he abandoned his kids, so he was wrong for that. But I’m not going to say he was abused child to death. Wrong, you know what I’m saying? But instead of going in on the mother, on Steven, on the other guy, Jason, on uh, the mishandling of the case, you went to this other guy and said he was a convicted sex offender and you were completely wrong. So anyways, he sued them and he was awarded £75,000 in damages in March 2012. So what happened to Peter’s killers? Well, Jason was released from prison in August of 2011 and if that isn’t cause to flip some tables over, then I don’t know what is. But he was recalled back to prison in April of 2013 because he’s a freaking criminal. Steven had a parole application turned down in August of 2017.

The Baby P case caused national outrage and calls for child protection reform

Stacy’s journey through the justice system has been interesting to say the least. And for lack of a better word, which really, when I was writing this, I couldn’t think of a better word and what I’m going to say, like what? Maybe irresponsible, shocking, infuriating, I don’t know, what do you think? She was released on parole in 2013. I’m going to repeat that. I’m going to repeat that. She was released on parole in 2013, but returned to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole. She was refused parole multiple Times. However, in May 2022 it was reported that she would be released again. They said you’re a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad person, but frick it, we’re going to let you go. This decision was met with strong opposition, including from the then Justice Secretary Dominic Raab. Who described her actions as pure evil. Despite government attempts to block her release, Tracy was given parole on July 7, 2022. But this wasn’t the end of the story. In September 2024 she’s a frickin asshole and once again breached her parole condition and was recalled to prison because she’s a freaking criminal. As ah recently as the information that I could find her case had been referred to the parole board again and raised the possibility for another release. LaM Patreon that was September 2024 so they’re still looking into it to try and release her as of this recording in April 2025. The fuck. And I apologize for my language but what the absolute supposed to be Staying calm the case of Baby P is a reminder of the vulnerabilities of children and the critical importance of effective child protective services. I’m going to repeat that word, effective. Uh, I initially did this case as a bonus in October 2024 like I told y’all, and in this bonus you could hear more of my emotions and outrage in this episode. I didn’t show as much this time around because although it was just as hard to get everything together and rerecord this time around, I really couldn’t allow my brain to go through this again. But clearly, as much as I tried to stay calm wasn’t really working. But trust me, this level of outrage in this episode has nothing on the level of outrage in the initial episode. Now, April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and I wanted to put this case out to shed light on the irresponsibilities of some CPS departments, and I’m going to say some, not all, who are the very people, other than parents and family members who are put in place to protect, uh, vulnerable children. The repeated failures by multiple agencies to recognize and act on signs of severe abuse led to a tragic, horrible and preventable death. While inquiries and reviews have been conducted and improvements in child services have been claimed, claimed, the memory of Peter and the circumstances of his death continue to raise questions about how society safeguards its most vulnerable members. As Tim Lawton, the Children’s Minister at the time of the second serious case review was published, said he hoped it would bring closure to the case. However, for many, the deep sense of sadness and the questions about what could have been done differently still, uh, linger. The Baby P case caused national outrage and caused love and murder podcast outrage the public. And Ky was horrified that despite being under the watch of social services doctors and police, Peter was allowed to suffer and die. Peter Connelly, known only as Baby P during the trial was finally named after the court lifted reporting restrictions. He died at just 17 months old after months of systemic and horrific abuse by the very people who were supposed to protect him. A social worker later admitted, quote, we missed our chance. We all failed him. The words from Peter’s grandmother sum up the lasting grief. Quote, he never stood a chance. Peter Connelly was buried in a private ceremony and his headstone reads, quote, my little man always in my heart. A victim of failure on every level. Peter’s case became a symbol of the urgent need for child protection reform in the uk and I’m going to say it in the US too, and some other countries. If you suspect child abuse, call the Child Help National Child abuse hotline at 1-800-for a child. That’s 1-800-422-4453. Do not be like these people. Report it and if nobody’s doing something about it, you do something about it. Not meaning hurting somebody, I mean just take the child and if somebody calls the police on you or whatever you tell the police, look into this. Why would you think I would just walk into this house and take this child? Look into this case. Now don’t just be going around taking people’s children. And I’m just only talking to family members here. Don’t just go take people’s children. There has to be clear signs of child abuse going on. I’m not just saying walk into your sister or brother’s house and grab their children and be like peace out. That’s not what I’m saying. You can also go to childhelp.org all calls are toll free and confidential and the hotline is available 247 in more than 170 languages. So there’s no excuse like I don’t speak English or I don’t speak Spanish or I don’t speak German, 170 languages. Now if you want to hear my outrage and my thoughts in the initial case because like I said, even though you got a glimpse of really sliver of it in this episode is nothing compared to the original episode, then you can become a uh, lam patreon at the $5 or above level. Patreon.com/loveandmurder the link to this case will be in the show notes below.

Love and Murder welcomes your comments on today’s episode

Also as a LaMp Patreon, since they’ve gotten this case before, they will receive this updated case and another case today which the case that they’re going to get today is a serial killer corner case of a man who almost got away with multiple murders of multiple women. There was Initially, no evidence and no link, but after years, police found one fingerprint. Want to hear that case? Patreon.com forward/loveandmurder Now, I want to hear your thoughts on this case. Shout them out in the comments below, because I know y’all are shouting and screaming at this phone or tablet or computer or whatever you’re listening to me on. So put your comments below and they will be read in a future episode. And that is all I have for you today. And as I end each full episode, I want to remind you that it’s say it with me now. All, uh, love and no murder, y’all. Uh, and for real, this is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. So the number again, 1-800-422-4453. Or go to childhelp.org and I’ll see y’all later. Bye.