Britain's foremost children's charity reacted with anger today to the sentences handed out to three people convicted over the brutal death of Baby P.
Judge Stephen Kramer, QC, imposed unlimited sentences on the baby's mother and lodger Jason Owen at the Old Bailey. The mother's boyfriend was sentenced to life.
But the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said that the minimum terms were unacceptable.
The mother of Baby P, who can now be called Peter, was given a minimum tariff of five years, her boyfriend ten years and Owen three years.
Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “We are disappointed that the minimum tariff was so low. It raises the question of how bad the abuse has to be before offenders get a longer minimum time in prison.
“Baby Peter suffered sustained abuse, leaving him with horrendous injuries. Two of his abusers could walk free at a time when Peter should be a schoolboy with a new world in front of him. Despicable cruelty has denied him that opportunity.
“These three caused or allowed the torture and death of a defenceless baby. They may be behind bars now but when released from prison they must be put under the most stringent monitoring so they can never harm another child.
“The authorities must use every measure at their disposal to manage these individuals when they are freed."
Peter's mother was described by the judge as manipulative, self-centred and calculating as he imposed the unlimited sentence. He told her that she would be released only when the parole board deemed she was no longer a risk to the public and in particular to children.
She will be able to apply for parole in just over three years because of time already spent in custody.
Her former boyfriend was given life imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a two-year-old girl and a concurrent sentence of 12 years for causing or allowing the death of Baby P. Neither he nor Peter's mother can be named for legal reasons.
Peter's father, who cannot be named, was in court to see the three sentenced and wiped away tears as the boyfriend was sentenced.
Peter was 17 months old when he was found dead in a blood-spattered cot in August 2007 having suffered a broken back and fractured ribs.
He had more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register and being visited 60 times in eight months by social workers, doctors and police.
After outlining the catalogue of injuries inflicted on the baby, Judge Kramer told the three defendants: "Your alleged ignorance of what was happening to Peter in that small house defies belief."
Quoting one of the pre-sentencing reports, he said: "The family home seems to have developed a climate of abuse and neglect which should have been obvious to all of the adults present in the home."
As he sentenced the mother he told her that reports said that she was a vocal and not unintelligent young woman who was fairly articulate.
"Having seen and observed you over many weeks, I have concluded that you are also a manipulative and self-centred person with a calculating side as well as a temper.
"I sentence you for a course of conduct lasting weeks if not months during which time Peter was abused, injured and finally killed. I reject the suggestion that you were blind to what was happening in that house or that you were naive."
He said that he was satisfied she had "actively deceived" the authorities and acted selfishly because her priority was her relationship with her former boyfriend.
Peter’s natural father told the Old Bailey yesterday of his horror at discovering that the little boy had suffered months of pain, fear and loneliness before his death. He said that his own life had become a living nightmare since losing his son.
In a victim impact statement the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told of the moment he was confronted with his son’s lifeless body in a north London hospital.
He said: "I could not believe what was happening. I could not believe it was my son."
Peter’s death sparked an outpouring of public anger and led to strong criticism of the social workers, police officers and health professionals responsible for protecting him. Five employees of Haringey Council in North London, including Sharon Shoesmith, the director of children’s services, were sacked and the General Medical Council has suspended two doctors involved in the case.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said: “These were terrible crimes, unspeakable almost beyond words. The whole country has been deeply affected by the case of Baby Peter.
"It will now be the role of the prison service to monitor these offenders within prison. The judge has been clear about the minimum terms they must serve and such decisions must be for the judiciary. Beyond that time they will only be released if the Parole Board decides after a rigorous safety assessment that it is safe to do so. If the Parole Board thinks they are not safe to release, they will remain in custody until such time as they are, whenever that may be.”
Source:The times
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