Baby P's Mother Could Be Given Parole In Days

The parole board is expected to decide this week whether to release the mother of Baby P, who died aged 17 months after extensive abuse.

Tracey Connelly was jailed indefinitely in May 2009 with a recommendation she serve a minimum of five years for causing, or allowing, her son Peter's death.

Known as Baby P during Connelly's trial, Peter died at the family home in Tottenham on August 3, 2007 after suffering some 50 separate injuries.

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.

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 possible release was met with anger from Peter's grandmother, Mary O'Connor.

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

Connelly's boyfriend Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen were also imprisoned after being convicted over Peter's death.

Barker, who Peter called "Dad", was jailed for 12 years for his "major role" in Peter's death. He was also jailed for life with a minimum term of 10 years for raping a two-year-old girl.

Owen was jailed indefinitely with a minimum three-year term but later won an appeal to lower it to a fixed six-year term. He was freed in August 2011 but was recalled to prison again in April this year.

Connelly is understood to be held at Low Newton jail near Durham.