he Government will appeal the release of Baby P’s killer mother, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said on Wednesday.
On Wednesday the Parole Board ruled Tracey Connelly should be released from prison after being jailed in 2009 for “causing or allowing the death” of her 17-month-old son Peter.
Mr Raab told the Commons: “In light of the Parole Board’s direction to release Tracey Connelly, I should inform the House that having carefully read the decision, I have decided to apply to the Parole Board to seek their reconsideration.”
Peter Connelly died on August 3 2007 at the hands of Connelly, 40, her boyfriend, Steven Barker, and their lodger Jason Owen at their home in Tottenham.
This is Connelly’s fourth review by the Parole Board since she was jailed for a minimum of five years in 2009.
She was released on licence in 2013, but was recalled to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole conditions.
Mr Raab added: “More generally, the role of the Parole Board in deciding on the appropriateness of release from prison of criminal offenders, including many convicted of very serious violent and sexual offences, is clearly of paramount importance to protecting the public but also maintaining and sustaining public confidence in our justice system.
“It’s the first duty of government to protect the public.”
It comes as Mr Raab unveiled a crackdown on dangerous criminals in a “root-and-branch” review of the parole system.
He announced a package of reforms in the Commons, which set out how certain criminals will face ministerial scrutiny.
Offenders who are subject to life sentences, indeterminate sentences for public protection, extended sentences and certain recall cases are all subject to the parole process, meaning their release must be directed by the Parole Board.
The reforms mean the Government can apply to override the Parole Board when it comes to the release of dangerous criminals from jail.